


The Sickly Sweet Holidays Keep Me in Bed

by buoyantsaturn



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Advent Calendar, Christmas, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:29:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 23,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21642226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buoyantsaturn/pseuds/buoyantsaturn
Summary: happy december!!! its almost christmas!! which means its advent calendar challenge time!! here's chapter 1/26 so i hope you like it!!!((title is from sickly sweet holidays by dallon weekes))
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 295
Kudos: 332





	1. December 1st

**Author's Note:**

> happy december!!! its almost christmas!! which means its advent calendar challenge time!! here's chapter 1/26 so i hope you like it!!!
> 
> ((title is from sickly sweet holidays by dallon weekes))

Nico woke up to the sound of somebody knocking on the door of his cabin. He rolled over with a groan and called out, “What do you want?” but when there was no response, he forced himself out of bed and threw the door open with a glare.

There was nobody there. 

Nico looked around, but there were only a few campers out of their cabins so early in the morning, and they were all so far away that they couldn’t possibly have been the ones to knock. Nico started to shut the door, but at the last moment, he looked down to see a small box wrapped in decorative paper sitting atop a white envelope. He picked them up - and recognized his own name written on the envelope so there was no confusion that this was definitely left behind for  _ him _ \- then glanced around once more before retreating back into his cabin. 

He sat down on his bed, legs criss-crossed with the gift box sitting on his lap, and he carefully opened the envelope. There was a letter inside, written on regular lined paper, though all that Nico could make out was his name at the top of the paper. He didn’t know how long he glared down at the page before there was another knock on his door, though this time, a voice followed shortly afterwards.

“Hey, Nico,” Will called through the door, “are you awake yet?”

“Yeah.”

Nico looked up when the door creaked open, and saw Will poke his head inside. “Are you ready to head to breakfast?” Nico shook his head, so Will entered the cabin fully. “Whatcha got there?”

“It’s… I don’t know,” Nico said, and held out the letter. “Did you do this?”

Will frowned. “Uh, no?”

“Can you read this to me?”

Will hesitated before accepting the letter, and he sat down beside Nico on the edge of the mattress. Will cleared his throat and started to read. “Dear Nico, I’m too much of a coward to tell you how I feel about you in person, so I decided to write to you instead. I like you, Nico, more than I’ve ever liked anybody in my life, and to prove it to you, I’m going to write you letters and give you gifts every day until Christmas. Hopefully by then I’ll have the courage to reveal myself to you and tell you how I feel in person, but until then, I hope you enjoy this gift. Oh, and one last thing: every Sunday, I’m going to give you a little hint about myself so that you get a chance to learn a little bit about your secret admirer, and since today’s Sunday, I’ll ease your mind and let you know right away that I’m a guy, so you don’t have to worry about turning a girl down at the end of the month. I’ll write to you again tomorrow, Nico. Signed, your secret admirer.”

Nico had tried to follow along over Will’s shoulder, but still hadn’t been able to read most of the words. “I have a secret admirer?” 

Will shrugged, looking up from the letter with a confused pout. “I guess so. You should open the gift.”

Nico turned his focus back to the box in his lap, and carefully peeled away the wrapping paper to reveal a simple black box. The box split in half on a hinge, and when Nico pried it open, he saw two small, skull-shaped pieces of metal inside. “What are they?” he asked.

Will leaned closer to peek over Nico’s shoulder. “They look like earrings.”

Nico frowned. “But...I can’t wear earrings.”

Will almost looked a little disappointed by that statement, but perked up again almost immediately. “I bet somebody in the Aphrodite cabin can pierce your ears! I can ask them about it, if you’re ever interested.”

“Yeah, sure. Maybe someday.” Nico set the letter and earring box on the nightstand.

Will stood up and clapped his hands, rubbing them together. “So! Breakfast?”

Once Nico was dressed, the two went to breakfast together like they did every morning, and sat down beside each other at the Apollo table.

When they were settled in, Will leaned in close and asked, “Do you have any idea who your secret admirer might be?”

Nico shook his head.

“Did you say  _ secret admirer?” _ Kayla asked as she sat down across from them, shooting Will a  _ look. _ “You know, I bet I have a guess as to who it might be.”

“No you don’t,” Will shot back with a glare.

“The only hint I have is that he’s a guy,” Nico told her. “That doesn’t exactly narrow it down all that much, considering how many people are at camp this year.”

“Alright, well, who do you  _ want _ it to be?” Austin asked from beside Nico. 

Nico ducked his head to hide his blush, and to hopefully prevent anyone from seeing the way his eyes darted toward Will. “I, uh, I don’t know that either.”

With his gaze locked on the table, Nico missed the pointed looks shot at Will by every other member of the Apollo cabin.

“Okay, that’s enough, leave him alone,” Will announced, and Nico finally looked up again. “Let’s talk about today’s infirmary schedule instead, like… Who’s going to come up with a bad excuse to make me take their afternoon shift today?”

“We don’t do that!” one of his siblings called from the other end of the table.

“But…” another one started, “I  _ did _ promise Billie that I would help her with her archery…”

Will rolled his eyes with a smile, and nudged Nico with his shoulder. “I guess I’ll see you at dinner later, since I’ll be in the infirmary all day. You’d better keep me updated on this secret admirer thing, deal?”

With Will smiling at him like that, Nico couldn’t help but think that he wouldn’t mind if Will did end up being his secret admirer. 


	2. December 2nd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello happy day 2!! it hasnt even been 12 hours since i posted chapter 1 but whatever i hope you enjoy this chapter!!

A knock on Nico’s door woke him up the next morning. With an unhappy grunt, he rolled over and went back to sleep, only to be awoken by another knock sometime later. 

“Hey, Nico, it’s me,” Will’s voice came through the door. “You have another gift waiting for you out here.”

Nico sat up at the mention of another gift, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Come in,” he called out to Will, and a moment later, he stepped into the cabin. 

Will sat down beside him on the edge of Nico’s bed, and handed over the gift, though he kept the letter for himself. “Do you want me to read this for you again?”

Nico nodded, and so Will ripped open the envelope.

“Dear Nico,” Will started, “I’m sorry yesterday’s letter was so long. I forgot that most demigods have worse dyslexia than I do, but hopefully today’s gift will make up for forcing you read so much. I hope you like it. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

When he finished reading, Will turned to Nico expectantly, so Nico started opening the gift. Inside was a single pack of Mythomagic cards, which Nico held in his hands for a second before ripping that open as well. 

“I didn’t know your dyslexia was so bad,” Will commented.

“It’s not... _ really _ the dyslexia,” Nico muttered, shuffling the cards in his hands - there were five of them, and none that he didn’t already have. “It’s more that… I never really learned how to read.”

“What? That can’t be right.”

Nico turned to face Will fully, and fanned out the cards between them. “When I first started playing, I had my sister tell me the names of all the gods and goddesses, and I learned to match the name to the picture. I can only just barely recognize their names.” He held out an Aphrodite card. “I know this says Aphrodite, but because I know the picture, and the name is really long. I don’t know any of the attacks, either, just that this move has five hundred attack power because the words are in red, and this is a defense move because the words are in blue.”

“That’s pretty impressive that you managed to learn so much about the game without being able to read,” Will told him. “But, you know, if you’re interested, I could help you learn to read sometime.” He dropped his gaze to the blanket between them, and shrugged awkwardly. 

Nico bit his lip. “Yeah. That would be...okay.”

“Really?” Will brightened up immediately. “Great! Okay, we should probably go get breakfast before they run out of food. You get dressed, and I’ll wait for you outside.”

Will hopped out of bed, shooting Nico one last smile over his shoulder before he closed the door behind himself. 

Nico had a sword fighting class to teach that morning, but after lunch, he met up with Will in the infirmary. He walked inside, nervously shuffling a small stack of Mythomagic cards in his hands as he went to find Will. He saw Will when he went around a corner, and saw Will furiously writing something at a desk.

“Hey, Will,” Nico said as he approached the desk.

Will looked up in surprise, and instantly smiled at the sight of Nico. “Oh, hey! Just give me one second.” He jumped up from his seat and walked around the corner, calling out, “Hey, Kayla, I’m gonna take my break now, just so you know! Find me if you need anything!” In a moment, he reappeared in front of Nico, and led him into another room.

It looked to be a supply room of the crowded shelves lining the walls were anything to go by. There weren’t any seats, so Will sat down on the floor in the middle of the room, and patted the ground beside him until Nico sat as well. 

“Um, how do you want to do this?” Nico asked. 

Will’s gaze dropped to the cards in Nico’s hands. “Let’s start with your Mythomagic cards. I’ll help you sound out the words."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! check out solangleoweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff!!


	3. December 3rd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey folks,,,,, i am,,, SO stressed out so bear with me on these,,,, anyway i hope you like this!!

When Nico was once again awoken by a knock on his cabin’s door, he sat up and said, “Will?” There was no answer, so Nico pulled himself out of bed and crossed to the door, though when he opened it, he saw no one around. He shivered when he was hit by a cold gust of wind, and hurried to grab the gift off the front step so that he could get back inside.

He sat back on his bed with the gift and letter in his lap, silently debating whether he should open the gift before the letter, or if he should attempt to sound things out on his own. He didn’t have long to make a decision, because there was another knock on, and Will’s voice came through saying, “Hey, Nico, are you awake yet?”

“Yeah, come in,” Nico replied.

The door opened and shut as Will stepped inside, and the bed dipped when he sat down beside Nico. “Oh, hey! You already got your gift! What’d you get?”

Nico shrugged. “I dunno, I didn’t open it yet.” He picked the letter up off his lap and held it out for Will.

“You didn’t open this yet, either?” Will asked, hesitating before he took the envelope. “Are you sure you don’t want to try reading it yourself?”

Nico shook his head. “No, I’m not ready yet.”

“Alright.” Will tore open the envelope and pulled the letter out. “Dear Nico, I know you spend a lot of your time traveling, but I want you to have an easy way to get into contact with someone (me, preferably) while you’re gone. I’m hoping you can handle the drachma part of the process, since your dad is the god of wealth, but I thought I’d help you with the rainbow part. It probably isn’t easy to make a rainbow in the Underworld, right? Anyway, I hope this prism gets put to good use. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

Nico frowned. “What’s a prism?”

Will bumped his shoulder against Nico’s. “Open your gift and find out, dummy.”

Nico unwrapped the box, and pulled out a triangular-shaped piece of glass. Nico looked at it skeptically. “This is supposed to make a rainbow?”

“Yeah, let me show you,” Will said, and covered Nico’s hand with his own to hold the prism steady. “Hold the prism up like this, and then when the light hits it just right…” With his free hand, Will guided a beam of light in through the window and into the prism. On the opposite wall, a rainbow appeared.

“Oh, wow,” Nico said. 

“Cool, right?” Will allowed the light to dissipate, and released Nico’s hand. “You should make sure you take that with you the next time you go to the Underworld or New Rome, and maybe then you could introduce me to some of your friends at Camp Jupiter.”

As they finished eating breakfast later that morning, Will leaned over to Nico and said, “You know, I don’t have to be in the infirmary until this afternoon. If you want, we could go back to your cabin and try reading some more? Today’s letter seemed like it might be pretty easy for you to read.”

“Yeah, alright,” Nico said. The two of them left the pavilion together and made their way back to the Hades cabin, where Will held the door open for Nico like the perfect gentleman he was raised to be. 

They made themselves comfortable on Nico’s bed, close enough that Will could read over Nico’s shoulder and correct him whenever necessary. He made it through the letter relatively easily, with only a few corrections every here and there on Will’s part, though when Nico reached the signature at the end of the letter, he frowned. 

“You didn’t read the entire thing,” Nico said. “Why didn’t you read this part after that… What does  _ PS _ mean?”

“Post-script,” Will answered. “It’s like an extra note that didn’t fit in the letter, or when the writer forgets something so they just add it in at the end.”

“Okay, so why didn’t you read it to me this morning?” Nico asked again.

Will smiled and shrugged. “I thought you might want to read that part yourself.”

Nico turned his attention back to the paper, and glared down at the words as he slowly started to read them aloud. “I really, really...like you, and I...can’t wait to...tell you in person.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!
> 
> for anybody that knows what second city is:: im doing a showcase there in about a week and. I have TOO MUCH going on right now so its just a lot of stress
> 
> anyway!! check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff!!


	4. December 4th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello happy december!! uhhh still stressed and idk what to eat for dinner tonight  
> enjoy!!

When Nico heard a knock on his door the next morning, he jumped out of bed and ran for the door, but by the time he answered it, his secret admirer was already gone, leaving the gift and letter in his place. Nico sighed in slight disappointment that he hadn’t been able to catch his admirer, and reached down to pick up the gift.

As he straightened up, he saw Will stepping up to his cabin. “Aren’t you up early?” Will teased.

“I, uh, heard my secret admirer knocking on the door, and I tried to catch him,” Nico said, his voice tinged with embarrassment. He turned and walked back into his cabin, leaving the door open for Will to follow.

“Nico!” Will scolded, rushing inside and shutting the door. “You shouldn’t try to catch him, that defeats the purpose of the gifts and the letters! He… He  _ specifically _ told you that he’s not ready to reveal himself to you, so you can’t just...force him to be ready!”

Nico dropped onto his bed and hugged his knees to his chest. “Yeah, I know, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking… I’m sorry.”

Will sighed, his exasperation melting away at the sight of Nico looking so small. He went to sit beside Nico, draping an arm across Nico’s shoulders. “No,  _ I’m _ sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you. Are you going to open your gift?”

Nico tipped his head onto Will’s shoulder, and handed over the letter.

“Why are you giving that to me? I bet you could read it just fine on your own.”

“I’m too tired to read,” Nico replied. 

Will rolled his eyes, smiling fondly, and opened the envelope, though he unfortunately had to knock Nico off his shoulder in order to get his arm back. “Dear Nico,” Will read, “I don’t know how comfortable you are with displaying your sexuality (and sorry for the big words), but these pins can be a subtle way to do so if you ever want other people to know. I hope you like them, and I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

Nico hooked his chin over Will’s shoulder to look at the paper. “And there’s no secret extra stuff you’re leaving out like you did yesterday?”

“Nope, that’s all,” Will told him, handing the letter over to let Nico see for himself. “Now, are you going to open that gift or not? If he got you pins, then I want to see what they are.”

Nico set the letter aside and grabbed the gift box, tearing the paper off and cracking it open. There were four enamel pins inside, one shaped like a cartoonish ghost, one was a human skull, another was a gold crown, and the last was a rainbow rectangle. 

“What am I supposed to do with these?” Nico asked.

“You put them on things, like, for decoration,” Will replied, then shifted to show Nico the pins decorating the lapel chest pocket of his denim jacket. “Like this!”

Nico leaned in close to see them - an anatomical heart, an orange and yellow sun, and a colored rectangle similar to Nico’s, though this one only had three colors rather than a whole rainbow. Nico held up his rainbow pin next to it. “These two kind of look alike.”

“Yeah, your is the colors of the gay pride flag, and mine is the bi pride flag,” Will explained with a bright smile. Nico shot him a confused look, so Will continued. “If you put that pin on your coat or your bag or something, then it’s like a little signal for other gay people to let you know that you like boys. Mine, the bi flag, lets people know that I like guys and girls.”

Nico blinked up at him. “You...like boys?”

Will’s cheeks bloomed pink, and he looked away, scratching nervously at the back of his head. “Um. Yeah, I do. Did I never tell you that?” Nico shook his head. “Well, anyway! We should probably get to breakfast, huh? I’ll wait for you outside while you get dressed.”

As Will launched himself off the bed and ran out the door, Nico started to wonder the probability of Will being his secret admirer.

Nico taught a few sword fighting classes after breakfast, right up until the start of lunch, and as he was readying himself to leave, he saw Will entering the arena. 

“Hey, Will,” Nico said once Will was close enough that he wouldn’t have to shout across the room. “Did you need something?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me in the infirmary where it’s warm, instead of at the pavilion,” Will offered, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his scrub pants.

“Yeah, sure,” Nico replied. “Let me pack up the rest of my stuff.”

Nico stepped away, toward the pile he’d left his belongings in, and Will followed a few paces behind. Nico sheathed his sword, threw on his coat, and tossed his water bottle into his bag before picking everything up and turning to leave.

“You put your pins on your bag!” Will commented with a grin.

Nico smiled back. “Yeah, I really like them! But I’m a little worried they might fall off or break, and I’ll definitely have to take them off if I get sent out on a quest, or if I need to visit the Underworld.”

Will shrugged. “I think you’ll be good. I mean, they look like they’re pretty high quality - they look a lot like mine, actually! And I’ve never lost one of mine, so you shouldn’t need to worry. Besides, if you lose one, I’m sure your boy will buy you another. Are you ready to go?”

“Uh, yeah.” 

Nico tried not to feel disappointed by the way Will said that. He knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up with the thought that Will might be his secret admirer, so he needed to nip those feelings in the bud. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> check out more advent calendar stuff at solangeloweek on tumblr!!


	5. December 5th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello im uploading this one early so i can post it easier tomorrow so uhh i still dont know what to eat for dinner and should really get on that  
> enjoy!!

Nico slept like a rock. He didn’t wake at the first knock on his door - from his secret admirer - nor the second - which was definitely Will, but may or may not have also been his admirer. When Nico didn’t invite Will inside, Will entered on his own, slowly at first and simply peeking his head in the door, and then the rest of the way when he saw that Nico was still asleep.

Will flopped down onto the bed beside Nico, causing the son of Hades to groan and shove at him, though Will didn’t budge. “You know, if you’re not gonna wake up, then I guess I’ll just have to eat this whole bag of candy all by myself.”

Nico cracked his eyes open and saw Will shaking a bag of candy in front of his face with a grin. Nico sat up with a glare, noticing the sealed envelope held in Will’s other hand, and exclaimed, “Hey! Did you open my gift?”

Will handed the bag over. “No, I promise, it was like this when I found it outside!”

Nico snatched the bag out of his hand and slumped back against the pillows. “Alright, fine. Read the letter for me.”

Will rolled his eyes, but Nico could see the fond smile on his face too. As Will tore open the envelope, Nico scooted closer and rested his head on Will’s shoulder to read along with him. “Are you sure you don’t want to give it a shot?”

Nico shook his head. “No, you do it.”

Will sighed, and started to read. “Dear Nico, I was so happy to see that you already put your pins on your backpack - I think they suit you, and I’m so glad you like them! I hope you like the candy I brought for you today, too, but be careful not to each too much, because if you get too much sweeter, you’ll end up in a sugar coma. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

After he finished the letter, Will tilted his head towards Nico to see the pout he now had as a blush bloomed on his cheeks. Will grinned at the sight. “What, you don’t agree? Maybe you should write your boy back and let him know how wrong he is.”

Nico pushed himself back, hitting Will in the shoulder as he did so. “I can’t do that if I don’t know who it is, you idiot!”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t actually have an argument,” Will replied, smile brightening as he rolled onto his side to face Nico.

“Yes, I do!” Nico exclaimed. He sat up, waving his arms frantically as he spoke as if to emphasize his point. “I’m the Ghost King! I’ve killed tons of monsters, and even a few people! And I’ve fought in two wars! Sweet people don’t do that, so I’m  _ not _ sweet!”

Will propped his head up on his hand, watching Nico with amusement. After Nico made his final statement, Will reached out and poked Nico in the stomach, causing him to squeak. 

“Hey, stop that!” Nico laughed, swatting at Will’s hand. 

“No way, I just found all that sweetness you’ve been hiding,” Will replied, and poked Nico again, disarming him to the point that Will was able to tickle him until Nico dissolved into a mess of tears and laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> don't forget to check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff!!!


	6. December 6th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i'm the only person on the planet that cares about hockey but uhhh the russian five documentary about the detroit red wings from like 1980-2000 is a very good documentary and yall should watch it
> 
> anyway since thats NOT what this fic is about: enjoy!!

Nico woke up when his secret admirer knocked on his door, though he didn’t bother getting out of bed to go collect his gift - chances were good that Will would be there soon enough anyway. He sat up in bed, and when Will inevitably did knock, Nico called for him to come inside. 

“Good morning,” Will greeted. “Too tired to get out of bed again?”

Nico scooted to the side to make room for Will, and leaned back against the headboard. “Nah, I just knew you’d be here to hand deliver that gift to me.” He shot Will a grin, who pouted back at him. “Am I wrong?”

Will sighed and held out the gift. “No, you’re right.” He sat down beside Nico, and held up the letter. “Are you ready to read this on your own?”

Nico’s gaze dropped to the gift in his hands and he shook his head. 

Will tore open the envelope and took out the letter before he started to read. “Dear Nico, it’s starting to get colder out there, so I hope your gift today helps you stay warm. I think I found the perfect thing to suit your fashion sense, too. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

Nico picked carefully at the tape concealing his gift, and removed the wrapping paper to reveal a simple white box. Inside, Nico found black and white yarn woven into a long scarf with a skull and crossbones pattern. 

“Aw, he was right,” Will started. “He  _ did _ match your style. It looks warm, too.”

Nico unwound the scarf - it was probably longer than he was tall - and Will wrapped it around his neck.

“Does it look okay?” Nico asked.

Will smiled. “Better than okay. C’mon, let’s go get some breakfast.”

After breakfast, Nico and Will parted ways as usual. Nico had a few sword fighting classes to teach and Will had a shift in the infirmary, but they would of course meet up again for lunch. In between his classes, while Nico was getting a drink, Mitchell from the Aphrodite approached him.

“Hey, Nico,” Mitchell started, “I noticed those new pins on your backpack, and that cool scarf you had on at breakfast. Where have you been getting all the goodies?”

“Oh, uh.” Nico scratched at the back of his neck. “I have this...secret admirer, I guess? He’s been leaving gifts for me outside my cabin every morning, and said that he’s going to tell me who he is in person on Christmas.” Nico tensed when he finished speaking, realizing too late that he might not want to announce to too many people that he had a secret admirer. After all, how did he know that  _ Mitchell _ wasn’t his admirer? He liked guys too, right?

Right before Nico could really start to panic, Mitchell looked over his shoulder with a fond smile, and Nico followed his gaze to Connor, who was across the arena. 

“You know, I might have to try something like that with Connor sometime,” Mitchell mused, then turned back to Nico with a grin. “Maybe then he’ll get his head out of his ass.”

“Oh. Yeah, uh, good luck with that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff!!


	7. December 7th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! its 4 days until my show opens (besides previews) and im hhhhhhhhh stressed
> 
> i hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Nico woke up with the sound of his secret admirer knocking on his door, though he ignored it and rolled over to go back to sleep. He groaned when there was another knock a few minutes later, and Nico pulled his pillow over his head. 

“Nico? Are you awake?” Will’s voice came through the door, and Nico groaned again. “I’m coming in.”

Nico heard the door swing open and then shut, and Nico’s mattress shifted when Will sat down beside him. Will patted the pillow over Nico’s head. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

“No,” Nico argued. “It’s Saturday, and I’m  _ sleeping. _ I’ll see you for lunch.”

Will sighed. “Alright, I’ll come back later, then.”

Nico huffed, but Will did as he said he would and left the cabin.

Nico wasn’t able to fall back asleep. A little more than half an hour passed while Nico tossed and turned in his bed, too stubborn to get up and head to breakfast but too restless to stay in bed. With a huff, he pulled his blanket over his head.

A moment later, he heard his cabin’s door opening again without a knock prior, and then the mattress shifted beside him once more. Nico shoved the blanket away and frowned at Will, who was now laying beside him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Will smiled at him. “Just getting comfortable, since you’re clearly not getting out of bed today. I brought you something from breakfast, and I have the gift from your secret admirer, if you’re interested. You’re lucky I grabbed it, or else somebody else might have taken it off your doorstep.

Nico rolled his eyes. “Nobody would have done that.”

Will shrugged. “You don’t know that. Technically, I did.”

“Whatever.” Nico sat up, and Will did the same. “What did you get me for breakfast?”

“Just some toast with jam, since I couldn’t sneak much else out,” Will told him, twisting to take the napkin with toast off the nightstand, and handed it over. He picked up the gift and letter, setting them in his own lap since Nico’s was occupied by his breakfast. “Let me guess, you want me to read the letter for you again?”

Nico nodded rather than answering around a mouthful of toast. 

“You know you’re going to have to read it yourself one of these days.”

Nico swallowed, and grinned. “Not as long as you keep showing up to drag me to breakfast.”

Will pouted, but opened the envelope anyway. He started to read: “Dear Nico, I was really happy to see you wearing your new scarf yesterday. I was right, it does suit you! Which makes me feel even better about today’s gift. I hope you like it, and I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

Nico stuffed the last of one piece of toast into his mouth and said around it, “Can you open the gift for me, too?”

With a nod, Will swapped the letter for the gift, and tore the wrapping paper off the box underneath.

“Do you always just rip into it like some kind of monster?” Nico asked. 

“It’s more fun this way!” Will argued. “Do you want me to open it or not?”

Nico pouted. “Yes, I do.”

Will removed the rest of the wrapping paper and cracked open the box underneath, then pulled out another piece of fabric to match the scarf from yesterday. “Oh! It’s a hat!” Will exclaimed.

“And it matches the scarf!” Nico commented. Before he could react, Will picked up the hat and shoved it onto Nico’s head. “Hey!” He shot Will a glare. 

“Don’t look at me like that. You look cute. Your boy really does have your fashion sense down pretty good, and just in time, too. It’s freezing outside today.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re from the south,” Nico shot at him.

“What, no way!” Will argued. “Go outside and see for yourself! You’ll be cold too, it’s not just me!”

Nico crumpled up his now-empty napkin and tossed it at Will’s face, and then flopped back onto the bed. “Nope. It’s Saturday, I’m not going anywhere for as long as I can.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Are you expecting me to bring you lunch in bed, too?”

Nico grinned. “I mean, I wasn’t before, but I am now. Thanks for offering.”

Will pouted at him once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!  
> check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff, and i'll see yall tomorrow!


	8. December 8th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops missed this yesterday but ive been busy sorry folks  
> enjoy!

There was a knock on Nico’s door that woke him up, though he didn’t rise out of bed right away. After a few moments, he made his way over to the door, pulling it open, and found Will standing on the other side. He looked startled, like he hadn’t expected to see Nico despite standing on his doorstep, and he had in his hands a familiar looking gift and sealed envelope. 

Nico’s heart stopped. Will wasn’t  _ actually _ his secret admirer, right? Why would he spend so much of his time with Nico if he was trying to hide a crush? And why would he be so afraid to tell Nico about his feelings when they were already so close?

“Uh, Will?” Nico stuttered, though Will just smiled back at him.

“Good morning!” Will greeted. “I’m surprised to see you up so early. I was just about to bring your gift in for you.”

“Oh. Right,” Nico muttered, trying not to let his disappointment show. Of course Will wasn’t his admirer - he was just a friend. And besides, there had already been one knock on his door that morning. Why would Will wait around in the cold for so long every morning?

“Well? Are you going to let me in, or are we just going to freeze in the doorway all morning?” Nico stepped aside to allow Will into the cabin. 

The two moved to Nico’s bed, sitting down on the edge. Will held out the gift, though hesitated before holding out the letter as well. “Did you want me to read this again?

Nico bit his lip nervously, then shook his head. “No, I want to try this time, but… Read it with me so I know I’m getting it right?”

Will smiled at him. “No problem.”

As Nico opened the envelope - just as carefully as he always did with his gifts - Will hooked his chin over Nico’s shoulder so that he could read along with him. 

“Dear Nico,” Nico started hesitantly. “I’m glad to see you liked the hat I got for you, and I think you’ll like today’s gift, which will complete the set. It’s Sunday today, which means that you get another hint as to who I am. I’m biss-- Uh, bi…?”

“Bisexual,” Will finished for him.

Nico looked up from the letter. “That’s the one where they like both guys and girls?”

Will grinned. “Yeah, you got it!”

Bisexual… Hadn’t Will said that he was bisexual? 

No, Nico wasn’t going to get his hopes up thinking that Will was his secret admirer. That was just going to disappoint him in the end.

He looked back down at the letter and continued where he left off. “Only about three more weeks until we meet face to face. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer. PS - the hat really does look great on you.”

“See? You did great! Nothing to worry about,” Will told him, wrapping an arm around Nico’s waist and squeezing him close for just a second. “Do you want to open your gift now?”

Nico nodded. He took the gift from Will and pulled away the wrapping paper, then opened the box to reveal a pair of mittens that matched the hat and scarf from the last two days. 

“Ooh, mittens!” Will said, reaching inside the box for one of them. “Oh my gods, even better. Look at this.” Nico watched as Will pulled the mitten apart, like there was a removable flap of fabric that could hide the fingers. “They’re fingerless gloves, too! They match your aesthetic perfectly!”

Nico picked up the other glove at threw it in Will’s face.

When they sat down at the Apollo table for breakfast, Kayla immediately asked Nico about his secret admirer, shooting a weird look at Will as she did so. 

“He said something in his letter today that I was hoping you could help me with, actually,” Nico said. “He said he’s… Oh, what was the word? Will, what word am I thinking of?”

“Uh...boy?” Will suggested, then stuffed a bite of pancake in his mouth. 

Nico elbowed him in the side. “No, the word from the letter, the one that started with a  _ b.” _

Will grinned. “Yeah. Boy.”

“No! From the letter  _ today, _ not the one from last Sunday! Don’t play dumb, you know what I’m talking about!”

_ “Oh,” _ Will said overdramatically. “You mean  _ bisexual.” _

“Yes!” Nico said, then turned back to the rest of the Apollo cabin. “Do you know who at camp right now is bisexual? And also a guy? That’s all I know about my secret admirer so far, but that should narrow it down quite a bit, right?”

Kayla raised an eyebrow at Will, then turned her attention back to Nico. “I mean, most of our cabin identifies as bi, like Will here, for example. How do you know  _ he’s _ not your secret admirer?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. Why would Will write a bunch of love letters to me because he’s afraid to say all this stuff to my face, and then read the letters to me anyway? That doesn’t add up. It can’t be him.”

Will laughed beside him, his face suddenly pinker than it had been before. It was pretty cold out, after all. “Yeah, Kayla! Why would it be  _ me? _ Why would you even  _ say that?” _

Kayla rolled her eyes so hard that Nico was afraid they might get stuck back there. “I can’t handle three more weeks of this,” she muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	9. December 9th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhh i got too much going on folks enjoy

Nico woke up late. He didn’t remember hearing anyone knocking on his door, and only woke when the sun started shining through his window and into his eyes. He rolled out of bed and wandered toward the door, half expecting to see a bare front step, though when he opened the door, he found a gift and letter waiting for him.

He picked them up and turned back into his cabin, dropping back onto his bed to open the letter. He stumbled through it as best he could without someone beside him to correct him.

_ Dear Nico, _

_ I know you don’t have the best memories, especially not from the last few years, but hopefully I can help you make better memories in the future - and I think today’s gift will help us with that. Start making some happier memories, Nico, and soon enough we might be making those happy memories together. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. _

_ Your Secret Admirer. _

Nico set the letter aside and opened the gift, carefully pulling apart the paper to reveal a plain white box with the word  _ polaroid _ written across the front. He opened the box, though he didn’t know what was inside - it looked like a hunk of plastic to him. How was this supposed to help him to make memories?

As he examined the gift, he heard a knock on his door.

Nico jumped up to open it, and found Will on the other side, hiding a yawn behind his hand. “You’re late,” Nico told him.

Will smiled tiredly. “Sorry. I had a late shift last night, and I didn’t sleep very much, but I’m here now. Did you get your gift already?”

“Yeah,” Nico answered, “come tell me what it is.”

He grabbed Will’s arm and pulled him into the cabin, leading him toward the bed where they both sat down. Nico pushed the gift into Will’s hands. 

“The letter said that this would help me make happy memories, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that if I don’t even know what this thing is,” Nico explained. “But you know, right?”

Will grinned. “Yeah! It’s a polaroid camera. You can take a picture with this, and it develops right away. Here, watch!” Will’s arm shot out, wrapping around Nico’s shoulders to pull him close, while the other arm held out the camera. “Smile!” He clicked a button on the camera, and with a flash, the picture was taken. 

Something was spit out from the camera, and Will handed it to Nico - at first, it just looked like a gray piece of paper, but slowly, shapes began to appear until Nico held a picture of him and Will in his hands. 

“But… how did it do that?” Nico asked, his eyes wide in awe.

“Magic.” Will hooked his chin over Nico’s shoulder to look down at the picture. “Oh, that’s such a good picture! You should put that up on your wall!”

Nico frowned. “I don’t have anything to put it up with.”

“I have some tape in the infirmary. I’ll get some for you after I take a nap,” Will told him before he tipped back and fell against Nico’s pillow.

“Didn’t you just wake up?” Nico asked. “And what about breakfast?”

Will reached out for Nico’s arm, pulling him down and wrapping an arm around Nico’s waist to hold him close. “Nope, too tired. We’ll just go to lunch later instead.”

Nico huffed. Why were they allowed to sleep in when  _ Will _ wanted to, but not when Nico wanted to? Oh well. He wasn’t  _ actually _ going to complain if it meant Will would let him sleep a little later. As Will practically crawled on top of Nico to get comfortable, Nico wound an arm around Will’s back and shut his eyes.

Nico woke up when something shifted beside him in his bed, and Nico’s eyes shot open when he remembered that he’d fallen asleep beside Will. He felt something pointy press into his chest, and when he glanced down, he met Will’s eyes. Will offered him a sleepy smile. “Good morning.”

“It has to be noon by now,” Nico pointed out.

Will sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I guess we should go to lunch then, huh?” He moved away, and Nico tried not to feel disappointed at the loss of Will’s warmth. He stayed in bed while Will stood up and stretched his arms over his head, turning back to look at Nico after a moment and asking, “Are you coming?”

Nico nodded, and jumped out of bed. 

Once he was dressed, the two made their way to the dining pavilion where they sat down at the Apollo table with all of Will’s siblings. 

“How kind of you to finally join us,” one of his brothers called from across the table, and Will threw a grape at him.

“Something more important than breakfast that you needed to attend to this morning, Will?” Kayla asked innocently. 

Will held up another grape. “Did you want to get graped too?”

Kayla held up her hands in surrender. “It was just a question.”

Will narrowed his eyes. “Alright, but you’re on thin ice.” He popped the grape in his mouth and then turned to Austin. “Hey, Austin, thanks again for, uh, running that errand for me this morning.”

Austin glanced up with a look of confusion. “What errand?” Kayla elbowed him in the side. “Oh!  _ That _ errand! Yeah, no problem.”

Will rolled his eyes so hard that it looked like it hurt. That was one of the few things that connected all children of Apollo - spectacular eye rolls.

Once they’d finished eating, Will led Nico to the infirmary so that he could start his shift, and handed Nico a roll of tape. Nico took it back to his cabin with him, and taped the picture of him and Will up on the wall right beside his bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! my show previews tonight and we open tomorrow!! im so tired


	10. December 10th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its show night!! our preview went great and now it opens for real!!  
> anyway enjoy this chapter!!

Nico was up and dressed by the time his secret admirer knocked. He had to hold himself back from throwing open the door and catching his admirer in the act, but he knew he couldn’t do that. His admirer had worked hard on planning everything out - writing him so many letters and buying him so many different gifts - so he needed to wait until his admirer was ready. Even if waiting another fifteen days might kill him.

He counted to one hundred in his head before opening the door to collect his gift, and brought it into his cabin. He sat on the edge of his bed as he tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.

_ Dear Nico, _

_ I should probably explain some of these gifts, huh? If you already opened your gift, then you’re probably wondering why I got you a regular school binder. It’s because I filled it with these plastic sleeve things that you can put your Mythomagic cards in to keep them safe, and this way, you can display them, too! I don’t know how many cards you have, so hopefully I got enough sleeves for you, but if not, I can always get more! I hope you like your gift, and I’ll write to you again tomorrow. _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

Nico was practically vibrating in excitement as he ripped open his gift, for once not taking caution to keep the wrapping paper in tact. The binder was plain black, and had twenty or thirty plastic sleeves with nine pockets each. When Nico opened the binder, a slip of paper fell out that read,  _ I like you as much as you like Mythomagic (maybe more) <3 _

Nico tucked the paper into the first pocket of the first sleeve for safe keeping.

He scooted off the bed and onto the floor, bringing the binder with him, and dragged his shoebox full of cards out from under his bed. Just as he did so, there was a knock on his door.

Nico jumped up and threw open the door, beaming at Will on the other side. “Will! Come look at this binder I got!” He grabbed Will’s arm and dragged him inside, dropping onto the floor and pulling Will down with him. “There’s all these sleeves with these little pockets, so I can organize my cards however I want! How should I?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know,” Will answered, and leaned in close to look at the binder - specifically: the note in the first pocket.  _ “I like you as much as you like Mythomagic? _ How cheesy.”

Nico pulled the binder back with a pout. “I think it’s...cute.” 

Will glanced away, his cheeks growing a faint pink, though Nico couldn’t understand why. “Maybe after breakfast you can show me how to play? And then I’ll be able to help you organize your cards after I know how the game works.”

Nico couldn’t think about anything else all throughout breakfast.

“I could organize them by attack power,” Nico thought aloud, “or defense power, or...well, there’s a lot of stats that I could sort them by, so those are all options. Or I could do it alphabetically, or by their order on Olympus! But then I’d have to figure out an order for the minor gods, so that one probably wouldn’t work out very well. I could order them by favorites to least favorites, but that one could easily get me killed.”

Will, who had been watching with his chin resting on his hand and hearts in his eyes, said, “You could organize them by color.”

Nico’s eyes widened. “I could!”

From the other end of the table, somebody shouted, “Get a room!”

Nico jumped out of his seat. “Yeah! Come on, Will, let’s go back to my cabin.”

As Will was pulled out of his seat, his face burned bright red. At least his siblings were kind enough to hold back their laughter until Nico was out of earshot.

Nico dragged Will all the way back to the Hades cabin, and dropped onto the floor in the middle of the room to grab his cards and new binder. He upended the box, dumping all of his cards out onto the floor.

“Oh, wow,” Will said as he lowered himself to the floor across from Nico. “That’s a lot of cards. You might need a whole other binder.”

“Then I could keep one binder here, and another in the Underworld,” Nico told him, and then his eyes widened in realization. “Wait! I have more!” He jumped up and moved toward the wall, bracing one hand against it while his other arm phased completely through the wall, and resurfaced with a small, rubber banded stack of cards. “Okay, now that’s all of them.”

“Where did you get that?” Will asked in shock.

Nico pulled the rubber band off the deck. “My room in my dad’s palace. I keep some there in case I get bored and can’t sleep.”

“Was that, like...shadow travel?”

Nico glanced back toward the wall, and then down at his hand. “Oh. Yeah, sort of. It’s not as tiring as making a full jump, I promise.”

Will beamed. “That’s so cool!”

NIco ducked his head to hide his blush. “So, um. How do you think we should organize these?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	11. December 11th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for the good vibes on opening night!! the show went great!!! please keep those good vibes coming for our closing show tonight!!!  
> enjoy!!

Nico woke up when his secret admirer knocked, and allowed him about a minute to sneak away before Nico got up to retrieve his gift. The present was small and thin, and when Nico opened it, he found a shiny disc in a clear plastic case. Nico read his letter next.

_ Dear Nico, _

_ You probably haven’t had the easiest time learning about new technology since coming to camp, so I doubt you even know what today’s gift is. It has music on it, and while I know a lot of things about you, your music taste isn’t one of them, so hopefully I guessed right. I always thought it would be romantic to give someone a mixtape, so I hope you like it. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. _

_ Your Secret Admirer.  _

Nico looked at the disc. How could there be music on such a tiny thing? If anything, it must have only been a song or two, right? It was so much smaller than a record, anyway. And how was he supposed to play it if he didn’t even know what it was?

He heard the door to his cabin creak open, and Will poked his head inside. “Hey, good morning! I noticed that your gift wasn’t sitting on the step, so I figured you were up already.”

Of course! There was always music playing in the infirmary, so Will had to know of some way that he could play this disc. As he entered the cabin, Nico held up the disc and asked, “Do you have something that can play this?”

Will looked at the disc in confusion. “Uh, yeah? In the infirmary. You can come there with me after breakfast for my shift today, if you want.”

As they made their way to the infirmary later, Will asked, “So, that CD was your gift today, I take it?”

Nico frowned up at him. “CD?”

“Your disc. It’s a compact disc,” Will answered. He opened the door and held it for NIco to walk inside. “Your boy made that for you?”

Nico nodded. “It’s apparently music he thinks I’ll like, but  _ I _ don’t even really know what I like.”

“Then maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Will told him, and gestured for Nico to follow him across the infirmary. “Come on, the CD player’s over here.”

He pulled out the chair behind his desk and gestured for Nico to sit, standing behind Nico and reaching over his shoulder for the radio to show him how it worked. 

“The CD goes in this part,” Will explained, setting the disc in the player, “and these buttons will let you play, pause, fast forward, or rewind. Think you can handle it?”

Nico nodded, and when Will stepped away, Nico leaned forward to hit the play button. Music started to drift into the infirmary as Nico watched the Apollo campers switch shifts and get to work. 

By the time the third or fourth song had started to play, Nico was leaning on the desk, his chin resting on his crossed arms, and he sighed. There had to be something he could do rather than sit around and watch as the Apollo cabin worked their butts off, right? He stood from his seat and went to find Will. 

When he found Will in the storage closet, Nico asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Will stared at him in surprise. “You really want to?”

Nico shrugged. “Well, yeah. I’d rather help than just sit around.”

Will grinned. “Alright, I’ll set you up cutting bandages at my desk so you can still listen to your music, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	12. December 12th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! i'm now back in michigan after finishing my show, eating pizza, and crying, so here's an update!! since its super late and practically tomorrow already i'll be posting the next chapter right away!! enjoy!!

Nico opened his gift first that morning. It was just a simple white box held together by a gold ribbon, so he pulled the bow apart and took off the lid. Inside was a knife, maybe the length of his arm from the crook of his elbow to his fingertips. It reminded him vaguely of Luke Castellan’s sword Backbiter with the way that the blade seemed to be forged out of two different metals, though while Backbiter was split down the middle with a different metal on each edge, this knife had one flat side of Imperial Gold and the other flat side of Stygian Iron.

Nico lifted the knife and twisted it in his hand to get a better look at both halfs of the knife. There was a shallow engraving in the metal as well - etched into the gold were the words  _ Death Boy, _ and in the Stygian Iron was  _ Ghost King. _

Nico couldn’t stop turning the knife in his hand. It was  _ beautiful, _ and the grip fit perfectly in his hand, though somehow he knew that the knife wasn’t designed to be used as a weapon. He wouldn’t ever dare sharpen it, either, on the off chance that he ruined the engravings. He also couldn’t help but think that something about the engravings meant more than they appeared to on the surface.

Who had ever called him  _ Death Boy _ aside from Will?

But...wasn’t he already so sure that Will  _ wasn’t _ his admirer? Maybe he needed to reconsider…

Before he let himself get too far into those thoughts, Nico set the knife aside and picked up his letter.

_ Dear Nico, _

_ I hope you were able to listen to the songs I put together for you. Someday, you’ll have to tell me how you felt about them, and I’ll find some more music for you to listen to. If you haven’t opened today’s gift yet, then I suggest you do before you read the rest of this. Got it? Okay. This was probably the craziet thing I’ve ever forged, but it was definitely worth it. Did you know that it’s really hard to get ahold of both Imperial Gold and Stygian Iron if you’re not a child of Hades yourself? Anyway, I suggest you only use this knife for emergency purposes only, because the two metals didn’t fuse together very well, so overall the weapon is pretty weak, and the edges aren’t sharp either. A weak, dull knife is probably completely useless to you, I’m realizing now, but I hope you can appreciate it anyway. I’ll write to you again tomorrow.  _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

Nico started to wonder if Will had ever forged anything in his life. He knew that a lot of Apollo campers liked to make their own arrowheads, but Will wasn’t much for archery, so he probably didn’t do a lot of forging himself. It seemed more likely that the weapon would’ve been forged by an Ares or Hephaestus camper rather than Will, but that left Nico starting again with a clean slate. He hardly knew any Ares or Hephaestus campers, so how could they be so interested in him that they would go through all this trouble?

Nico fell back against his pillows with a groan just as his cabin’s door opened. 

“Um. Are you okay?” Will asked as he stepped inside. 

Nico threw his hands up in the air, though he stayed flat on his back. “This whole secret admirer thing is just so  _ frustrating! _ Why can’t he just come out and say it to my face? It’s like… It’s almost like he’s trying to mess with my head to keep me from figuring out who he is!”

Will sat down beside him and set a comforting hand on his knee. “Maybe he doesn’t  _ want _ you to try to figure it out. I mean, if you were in his place, would you want the other guy to figure it out early? Or would you have the confidence to admit your crush to his face?”

Nico stared up into Will’s eyes with a concentrated frown. If only he knew that Will would return his feelings, then maybe he  _ would _ confess his feelings, but… “No, you’re right. I get it, I’ll try to stop thinking about it so much.” He sat up and set his new knife on his nightstand, then got out of bed. “Let’s go get breakfast.”

As he stepped toward the door, he missed the sad, conflicted look that Will shot him behind his back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	13. December 13th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> man if i had known when i wrote this chapter that it would be friday the 13th then i wouldve incorporated it into the fic somehow rip  
> anyway enjoy!!

Nico woke up freezing. It was his own fault for sleeping shirtless in  _ December _ of all times, but that didn’t stop him from grumbling to himself about Persephone’s split time in the Underworld. He was awake for his secret admirer’s knock, and put on both a t-shirt and jacket before opening the door for just long enough that he could grab his gift off the front step. The gift was larger and heavier than any other had been so far, and the bottom was slightly damp from the thin layer of snow the gift had been sitting on.

Nico gazed curiously at the box when he sat down on his bed. For the most part, his gifts had been small enough to fit in the palm of his hand or light enough that he could hold them without any strain. This box was easily the size of his ribcage, and felt like it must have been stuffed to bursting.

He set aside the sealed envelope, too curious with his gift to wait any longer, and ripped into the paper. He opened up the box underneath, revealing a coat that looked incredibly similar to the one he used to wear before it had been destroyed during the war against the giants. He unfolded it and slipped it on - it felt smaller than his last one had, but to be fair, Nico  _ had _ grown a bit in the last few months.

Still wearing the coat, he ripped open the envelope. 

_ Dear Nico, _

_ I’ve missed seeing you in that giant coat of yours - you always looked awfully cute in that thing - so I thought I’d replace the one you lost. Besides, it’s only going to get colder, so you could use a warmer coat. I know it’s probably not exactly like your last one, but I hope you like it anyway. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

As he finished reading the letter, there was a knock on his door before Will stepped inside. He smiled brightly at Nico from across the cabin.

“Hey, you got a new coat!” he said. “Was that your gift today?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah. He said he missed seeing me in my old coat.”

Will’s smile softened. “Makes sense. It  _ was _ a pretty good look. This one looks great, too. And you got it just in time, since it snowed last night!”

Nico smiled back. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“We should go on a walk later, don’t you think? I bet the woods look beautiful today.”

“Sure. But after breakfast.”

“Of course! We can’t go skipping the most important meal of the day, after all.”

After breakfast, the two parted ways to head back to their cabins to bundle up for their walk. Nico emerged from the Hades cabin wearing the matching hat, gloves, and scarf he’d received over the last few days, with his new coat zipped up to his chin. He met Will outside, who had a thin beanie covering his curls and lacked gloves or a scarf. Nico frowned at him.

“You’re going to freeze,” Nico commented. 

Will shrugged. “I run warm, I’ll be fine.”

Nico unwound his scarf and tied it around Will’s neck so quick that Will didn’t even have the chance to argue. “I  _ know _ you would’ve lectured me if this had been the other way around.”

This time it was Will that frowned. “But now you’ll be cold.”

Nico popped the fur-lined collar of his coat, effectively covering every part of his neck that the scarf had covered. “I’ll be fine.”

Still, Will hesitated. “But… Don’t you think your boy might get upset if he saw me wearing the scarf he gave you?”

“I’d rather worry about you being warm enough,” Nico insisted. He reached down for Will’s bare hand and started pulling him toward the woods. “Now, c’mon, let’s go before you lose a finger to frostbite.”

Despite Nico’s initial rush, the two took their time walking through the woods, gazing up at snow covered branches and pulling each other this way and that by their joined hands. They couldn’t have been out long, no more than half an hour at that point, yet Will’s face was already bright red from the cold, so Nico stopped them.

He reached up and pulled his scarf higher to try to protect Will’s cheeks, though it just slipped back down to his neck as soon as Nico pulled away. “We should probably get back to the cabins to warm up.”

“I’m not cold,” Will promised, causing Nico to glare back at him. “I’m not! I swear! I mean, my hand is a little cold, but I think I know how to fix that.” He took his hand out of his pocket - the one that Nico hadn’t been holding for the duration of their walk - and slipped it into Nico’s gloved hand. For a second, Nico could have sworn that Will’s freckles had started to glow with the action. “There, much better.”

“Your other hand is still going to freeze,” Nico told him.

“I just have one last place I want to show you, okay? Then we can head back.”

“Okay, but it better not be far.”

“It’s not, it’s just right over here.”

Will led them east through the trees, pulling Nico along behind him until the trees around them started to thin out. Will turned back to Nico with his usual bright smile, and gestured outward with his hand. “Here we are! The greatest view within the camp’s borders!”

Nico looked out at the Long Island Sound from the cliff they stood on, taking in every detail from the low-hanging sun overhead to the sounds of waves hitting the shore somewhere below him, to the sight of Will beside him, his smile softer, his eyes somehow brighter and his hair glowing golden in the sun. Yeah, that was definitely the greatest view at camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	14. December 14th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! ive almost finished writing this fic so hopefully there wont be any posting delays!! anyway, enjoy!

Will knocked on the door to Nico’s cabin, and poked his head inside when there was no answer. It was Saturday, after all, which meant that Nico would probably once again refuse to leave his bed until lunch. Will was proven right, of course, when he sat down on the edge of Nico’s mattress and gently tried to coax him awake.

“No,” Nico grunted, trying to pull the blanket over his head and failing due to the fact that Will was sitting on it. “Saturday.”

Will smiled fondly at him. “At least get up and open your gift so I can see it before I go to breakfast,  _ all by myself.” _

“You have siblings,” Nico reminded him, glaring up at the other boy. “And it’s  _ my _ gift. Why should I show it to  _ you?” _

Will grinned. “Because you  _ like _ me,” he teased, poking Nico in the side and making him squirm.

“What? Who gave you that idea?” Nico replied nervously, sitting up in a rush and avoiding Will’s eyes.

Will set the gift in Nico’s lap. It was circular in shape and surprisingly heavy. “Just open it already. I’ll even read the letter for you, if you want.”

Nico snatched the envelope out of Will’s hand.  _ “No! _ I mean… I’ll read it myself.”

He tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter, shooting Will a look to make sure he wasn’t reading over his shoulder.

_ Dear Nico, _

_ I noticed that you didn’t come to breakfast last Saturday (I hope that doesn’t make me sound creepy). I don’t know if that was just because you slept in on accident or if it was intentional, but if you choose to sleep in again, then hopefully your gift today will help tide you over until lunch. Don’t tell your friends in the Apollo cabin, though, because it’s not exactly healthy to eat cookies for breakfast, and they might not be very happy with me if they find out. I hope you like your cookies, Nico, and I’ll write to you again tomorrow. _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

Nico set the letter aside and focused on the gift instead, his stomach already growling with the thought of cookies for breakfast. He didn’t notice Will picking up the letter beside him, his focus entirely on the cookie tin in his lap, decorated on all sides with various Christmas scenes. He popped off the lid, and his eyes widened at the sight of just how many cookies could be crammed into a single tin. His eyes flickered up to Will as he grinned, thinking up all the different things Will might say to try to stop him from gorging himself on cookies. However, that’s when he noticed the letter in Will’s hand.

“Hey, don’t read that!” Nico exclaimed, and launched himself forward to try to rip the letter from Will’s hand, though Will simply turned away, leaving Nico plastered to his back. “Give it back!”

“Oh, you are  _ so _ not just going to sit here and eat all those cookies!” Will told him, twisting back and making a move for the cookie tin, though Nico dove in between them.

He hugged the tin to his chest. “If my secret admirer says I can, then I will!”

“I’m going to have to have a work with him about healthy eating habits as soon as we find out who he is!”

“No, you won’t! I won’t let you!” In a second, Nico popped the lid off the tin and grabbed a cookie at random, stuffing the whole thing in his mouth before Will could stop him. He nearly melted at the taste. “Oh, you’ll change your mind after you have one of these.”

He held the tin out to Will, practically forcing it on him when Will didn’t immediately take a cookie, and as soon as he took a bite, Will’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you’re right, these are amazing! Definitely worth skipping breakfast for.”

As he popped the rest of the cookie in his mouth, Will kicked off his shoes and laid back on Nico’s bed, making himself comfortable.

Nico spluttered at the sight. “Hey! Who invited you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	15. December 15th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! i dont have anything to say here this time so i hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Nico still lingered in bed on Sunday morning, even after hearing the knocks from both his secret admirer and Will. Will let himself inside once again, holding in his hands a familiar envelope and a gift that was tiny in comparison to the last two he’d gotten. Nico watched with tired eyes as Will kicked off his shoes and laid down beside him. He set the gift and letter on the nightstand before he rolled over to face Nico. 

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” he said with a smile.

Nico glared at him. “You can very clearly see that I am already awake.”

“How do I know you’re not sleeping with your eyes open?”

“I’m talking.”

“People talk in their sleep all the time.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I’m awake.”

“And how do I know that for sure?” Will moved in closer, eyes narrowing until he and Nico were nose to nose, and Nico’s breath caught. “Alright, you’re awake. People don’t hold their breath in their sleep.”

Nico shoved him away. “Are you gonna give me my gift, or not?”

Will sat up and retrieved Nico’s gift, handing it over once Nico was sitting up as well. Nico took the box and pulled away the wrapping, then lifted the lid off the box. Inside sat a simple leather cord with three colored beads attached to it - they were familiar, and matched three of the beads on Will’s own necklace. One for the Battle of the Labyrinth, one for the Second Titan War, and one for the war against the giants. 

Carefully, like he was afraid the necklace might disappear at his touch, Nico pulled it from the box and held it in his hands. “Can you...read the letter to me? Please?”

“Of course,” Will told him softly, and opened the envelope. “Dear Nico, I’m so proud of you for finally accepting camp as your home, but it felt like something was missing until I realized that you never got a necklace. I may or may not have had to sneak into the Big House attic to find all the old beads, but it was worth it for you. I want you to know that I would do anything for you, Nico.

“Anyway, since it’s Sunday, I’ll give you another hint as to who I am: My godly parent is my father. That should help you narrow things down a little better. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

When Will looked up from the letter, he saw Nico wiping at his eyes with the cuff of his sleeve. 

“Hey, are you alright?” Will asked, wrapping an arm around Nico’s shoulders. 

Nico nodded, and held out the necklace. “Will you help me put this on?”

“Of course.” He took the necklace and tied it loosely around Nico’s neck. “There. All set.”

When Will started to pull away, Nico leaned against him, resting his head on Will’s shoulder. “Will?”

Will wound an arm around him once again. “Hm?”

Nico took a deep breath. “If you knew who my admirer was...you would tell me, right?”

“That kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?” Will whispered into the top of Nico’s head. 

Nico tensed in his hold. “It’s just so frustrating!” Nico groaned, hitting his own leg with his fist. “There’s only so many guys it could be, and now I can even narrow it down to half of the cabins, but it’s not like I can go around asking every guy if they’re bi, right? Because I know I  _ definitely _ wouldn’t be happy if anybody came up to me and said,  _ hey, are you gay? _ ‘Cause that’s  _ my _ business, not anybody else’s! And I know most people here are more open about it than I am, but I still feel weird about it, you know? And… I don’t know if I can wait  _ ten more days. _ It’s been so long already. I just want to  _ know.” _

Nico completely deflated, falling against Will’s chest. 

Will rubbed Nico’s back soothingly. “I’ll tell you what: at breakfast, we can talk to all of my siblings about it, and we’ll write out a list of everybody it could possibly be. That’ll help you narrow it down even more, and you can hold onto that list until next Sunday when you get another hint. Sound good?”

Nico nodded.

Will pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Let’s head to breakfast then.”

Once they had their plates, Nico and Will sat down at the Apollo table with all of Will’s siblings. Will took a moment to briefly explain the situation to his siblings, and brought out a pen and piece of paper to start writing out the list. 

“What about Jake Mason?” someone called from the other end of the table. “He’s bi, right?”

“No, he’s pan,” somebody else replied.

“Same difference.”

“They’re similar, but as a bi person, I disagree,” Will commented.

“Yeah, and if he identifies as pan, then why would he say he’s bi in the letter?”

“Will, did you write yourself down on that list?” Kayla asked from directly across the table. “You’re bi.”

Will started, “No, I didn’t, because--”

“I know you  _ said _ you aren’t it, but has that been proven?” Kayla cut in.

Nico said, “I don’t really think--”

“You’re a guy, you’re bi, and your dad is Apollo,” Kayla counted off on her fingers. She glared at her brother. “You fit all of the criteria. Put yourself on the list, Will.”

Will huffed, and picked up his pen. “Alright,  _ fine, _ I’ll put myself on the list. But I’m just going to get crossed off right away anyway!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! dont forget to check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff!!


	16. December 16th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! did yall know that applications to work at summer camps are due in december?? like,,, how do i know im still gonna want to do this in 6 months???   
> anyway,, enjoy!!

Nico woke up only because Will accidentally slammed the door shut when he walked into the cabin. Nico practically jumped out of his bed, grabbing the first thing he could find to use as a weapon - which just so happened to be his decorative knife.

“Woah, I come in peace,” Will said, holding up one hand in surrender while the other held that day’s gift close to his chest. “Sorry for waking you like that.”

After a moment, Nico relaxed, untensing his muscles before finally lowering the knife. He took a deep breath, and sat back down on his bed. “That’s okay,” Nico told him. “I’m just glad I recognized you before I could have attacked.”

Will grinned. “Me too, believe me.” He kicked off his shoes and came to sit beside Nico. “I brought something for you. Straight off your front step.”

Nico accepted the box as it was handed to him. It was much heavier than he expected. “Taking credit for my secret admirer’s gifts now, are you?”

“Let’s see if you like it first, and then I’ll decide who it’s from.”

Nico rolled his eyes, and started opening his gift. The lid of the box flipped open, revealing a pair of...knife...shoes? “What in Hades are these?”

Will smiled in confusion. “They’re ice skates. Haven’t you ever been ice skating before?”

Nico shook his head. “Hand me the letter.”

Will held it out for them and Nico opened the letter, unfolding it and starting to read.

_ Dear Nico, _

_ Ice skating is pretty romantic, don’t you think? I wish I could take you out now, someplace private where we could skate just the two of us, after the sun has set with only Christmas lights around us. Maybe a kiss under the moonlight… _

_ Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself. We’re just so close to meeting face-to-face that I’m getting a little over-eager. I just hope you’ll like me as much as I like you (which might be tough, since I like you a whole lot). I hope you get a chance to use your ice skates before we meet. I’ll write to you again soon. _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

Nico’s face was on fire as he read the letter.

Will grinned at him. “Ooh, is someone flustered? Let me see!”

_ “No!” _ Nico held the letter away as Will reached for it, and stuffed it under his pillow. He took a deep breath, then blurted out, “Will you teach me how to ice skate?”

Will’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, his face melted into a soft smile. “I’d love to.”

They went to breakfast and tried to eat quickly - but not too quickly, Will insisted, because that wasn’t healthy - so that they could get to the lake before it got crowded. Right before they got up to leave, one of Will’s siblings called over to him, “Hey, Will, can you do me a favor and take my shift this morning? I promised Julia I would help her with something.”

Will smiled at them and said, “Nope, sorry, Nico and I have plans.” He stood up and collected his plate looking to Nico as he said, “Ready to go?”

They ignored the surprised looks that the children of Apollo pointed at him as they left. 

Will insisted that they bundle up before heading to the lake, so they parted ways to go to their own cabins, then met up again at the lake. As Will walked toward Nico with his usual bright smile, Nico tapped nervously on the shoebox in his hands. “You didn’t have to skip out on the infirmary just to hang out with me, you know.”

Will chuckled. “Are you kidding me? I would much rather be here with you than in the infirmary. C’mon, let’s get those skates on.” Will led Nico to the end of the dock and instructed him to sit and take off his shoes, while Will pulled his skates out of their box and loosened the laces. “Alright, first one,” Will said, and knelt on the ice in front of Nico to help him put on the first skate. “They’re probably going to feel pretty uncomfortable at first, but you’ll get used to them. I have to tie them pretty tight, too, but let me know if they’re too tight, okay?” 

Nico winced when Will pulled the laces tight, but didn’t complain. A moment later, Will helped him with the second skate, then got to his feet. 

“Alright, you’re all set!” Will told him, and held out his hands for Nico to take. “Are you ready?”

Nico glanced down at Will’s feet, seeing that he was still wearing his tennis shoes, and asked, “Aren’t you going to skate with me?”

Will smiled, a bit embarrassed. “I don’t actually have any skates here. But I can still teach you! Besides, it’ll probably easier to teach you if we’re not both skating. Now c’mon.”

Nico scooted himself closer to the edge of the dock until his skates were resting lightly on the ice, and Nico took Will’s hands. He stood with Will’s help, and winced when he put weight on his feet, wobbling slightly. Will stayed still until Nico appeared steady, and smiled at him. “Ready to go?”

Nico nodded, and squeezed Will’s hands as he took a step backwards on the ice.

“Don’t pick up your feet just yet, just get used to gliding,” Will instructed, walked backwards slowly while Nico slid forward on shaky feet. “You’re doing great! When you feel ready, you can start to sort of undulate your feet - move them closer together and farther apart, and it’ll help you move forward. Think you can handle it?”

Nico nodded, frowning down at his feet in concentration as he did what Will said, slowly propelling himself forward. “Like this?”

“Yeah, exactly! You’re a natural, Neeks,” Will told him with a bright, beautiful smile that made Nico stumble. “Careful! Sorry, you must have hit a bump or something.”

Nico felt himself starting to blush. “Uh, yeah, I must’ve.”

Will led him another few feet. “Okay, now try lifting one foot to give yourself a little push forward.”

Nico did so, raising one foot while he wobbled on the other, and started to tip backwards when his weight shifted back on his heel. 

“Careful!” Will exclaimed, catching Nico around the waist and holding him there as Nico tried to right himself. Nico clutched the arm of Will’s jacket, his heart pounding with the feeling of falling and whatever feeling came from staring into Will’s eyes. He was close enough that Nico could feel the puff of Will’s breath on his cheeks, and Will’s arm around his waist tightened, his fingers curling into a fist at the small of Nico’s back. 

Will started to lean forward, his nose bumping against Nico’s for a fraction of a second as Nico’s breath caught in his throat, and suddenly, Nico’s foot slipped out from under him. As Nico lost his balance, he fell back, and pulled Will down to the ice with him.

Will propped himself up over Nico. “Are you alright?”

Nico pushed himself away from Will and nodded as he sat up. “Yeah, I’m fine, but… I think I’ve had enough ice skating for today.”

Will glanced away, scratching at the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah, that’s probably for the best. Are you sure you don’t need to take a trip to the infirmary?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Nico answered. “I’m pretty sure my doctor does house calls.”

Will’s gaze shot back to him in surprise, and then he smiled. He got to his feet and held out his hands to help Nico up as well. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! dont forget to check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff!!


	17. December 17th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ive seen an awful lot of comments of people trying to figure out who the admirer might be,,,, well,,, this chapter might give you another hint ;)))  
> enjoy!!

Will woke up with the sun, as always. He stretched his arms up over his head and glanced around the cabin to see that most of his siblings were waking up as well. Will slipped out of bed and knelt beside it, reaching under his bunk to pull out a pre-wrapped gift. He set it on his nightstand and took out a piece of paper and a pen, starting on his letter. 

_ Dear Nico, _

_ I don’t know if you have fond memories of the Underworld, but when I found out I could commission a stuffed animal from the Hebe cabin, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I’m also not certain what Cerberus looks like, so I just went with my best guess. Whether he’s accurate or not, I still think he’s pretty cute, so I hope you like him! I’ll write to you again tomorrow. _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

Will folded the paper into thirds, then stuffed it into an envelope and sealed it. 

He set the gift and letter aside as he went to get dressed, and then retrieved them again on his way out of the cabin. “See y’all at breakfast!” he called over his shoulder as he stepped outside. 

He made his way toward the Hades cabin, passing by the Hermes cabin as he went, where Cecil poked his head out the door. “Hey, Will!” he called. “Need me to flirt with Nico a little, get him off your trail? I’m pretty convincing, but just a warning, he might choose me over you.”

Will rolled his eyes at his friend, trying not to laugh. “Thanks but no thanks, dude. I think I’ve got it covered. Besides, you’d probably end up blowing my cover.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t--” Will shot him a look. “Okay, fine. I’ll leave him alone. Good luck, man.”

“See ya,” Will said, and continued on. 

He stepped up to the Hades cabin and set the gift on the front step. He took a deep breath before he knocked on the door, and ran around the side of the cabin to get out of view of the door. As he pressed himself against the side of the cabin, Will smiled and waved to a few of his friends, pressing a finger to his lips when somebody called out to him. 

After about five minutes of waiting around, Will walked back around the corner of the cabin and knocked on the door again, letting himself inside after a moment and taking the gift with him. When he stepped inside, he didn’t see Nico. He was normally still in bed in the morning, but since he wasn’t there, Will figured he must have gotten up to use the bathroom. 

Will crossed the cabin and sat on the edge of Nico’s bed as he waited for him. He set the gift and letter on the nightstand, spotting a scrap of paper sitting there as he did so.

The note was written in a messy scrawl, with more words misspelled than not, but Will eventually deciphered it as: 

_ Will - _

_ I’m in the Underworld. I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I brought my prism. I’ll call you when I have time. _

_ \- Nico _

Will frowned. What was Nico doing in the Underworld? Was he in danger? Did Chiron know that he was gone? Did he bring the first aid kit that Will had given him for this exact purpose? He’d have to ask when Nico Iris messaged him later. But when would that be?

Will took the gift and letter - as well as Nico’s note - with him when he went to breakfast. He had a tough time juggling everything with his plate of food as he tried to carry it all to the Apollo table, and dropped down with a huff. 

“Where’s Nico?” Austin asked. 

Will stabbed at his pancake with his fork. “In the Underworld. He didn’t say what he’s doing there, and he doesn’t know when he’s coming back, either.”

“But that means he won’t get his gift today,” Austin said. “Or the letter. He couldn’t have waited until after Christmas to go?”

Will shrugged.

“You gave him that prism already, though, right?” Kayla asked. 

Will nodded. “He said he would Iris message when he had the time, but what if he doesn’t have time until, like, three days from now?”

Kayla set a comforting hand on his shoulder. “He’ll be okay, Will. He’s tough. He knows how to take care of himself now that you’ve drilled it into his head enough times.”

Will sighed. “I hope so. Hey, you have a shift this morning, right? Mind if I take it from you?”

Austin frowned. “You’re already on the schedule for the afternoon  _ and  _ evening shift. You want to take Kayla’s morning shift, too?”

Will shrugged. “I’ve been slacking because of this admirer thing. I should step up while he’s gone, shouldn’t I?”

“If you really want to,” Kayla said. 

Will was in the process of closing up the infirmary for the night when Nico finally called. 

“Hello? Will?” Nico’s voice appeared behind him as Will yawned. 

He spun around in surprise, smiling brightly when he saw Nico’s face in the mist. “Nico! Are you okay? Are you safe? You’re not going to get attacked while we’re talking, right?”

Nico cracked a smile. “No, I’m fine, I won’t get attacked. I’m in my room.”

Will perked up at that. “You’re here?”

“No, I’m in my room at my dad’s,” Nico clarified. “I’ll probably be here for another day or two at least, but I wanted to call to let you know that I’m okay. Well, and…” 

Will leaned forward in anticipation. “And what? What is it?”

Nico ducked his head in embarrassment. “Would you mind going to my cabin to get the gift from my admirer for me? You know, so it’s not just sitting out on the front step until I get back?”

“Oh, yeah! Don’t worry about it, I already got it! It’s right here, actually,” Will told him, and popped behind his desk for a moment to grab the gift and letter. He held them up for Nico to see.

Nico blinked in surprise. “You...brought them to the infirmary with you?”

“Um. Yeah, when you weren’t in your cabin, I just...brought it with me. And I haven’t been back at my cabin yet, so…”

Nico tilted his head in confusion. “You could’ve just left it in my cabin.”

Will felt his ears starting to burn. “Oh. Uh, yeah. I guess you’re right.”

“Well, since you already have it with you…” Nico said, drawing out the words, “would you mind opening them for me?”

Will smiled. “Yeah, no problem!” He opened up the letter first, reading it aloud and then setting it aside to grab the gift. He brought out the custom-made Cerberus plush, holding it out for Nico to see. 

Nico grinned. “It looks just like him! I can’t wait to see it in person.”

“Kind of ironic since you’re in the Underworld right now, huh?” Will lifted one of the paws of the Cerberus plush and had it wave to Nico. “Say hi to the real Cerberus for me, would you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some hint right  
> thanks for reading!! check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff, and follow me on tumblr at buoyantsaturn!


	18. December 18th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok folks im gonna try to upload these all so i can post them with a single click so hopefully i'll get around to posting these earlier in the day   
> anyway. enjoy!!

When Will woke up, he pulled the next gift out from under his bed and wrote the letter for Nico. As he sealed the envelope, Kayla called over to him, “Why are you bothering when he said he won’t even be here until tomorrow?”

Will smiled at her. “Because he said he would Iris message me again today when he has the time, and I promised I would read him today’s letter. If I don’t have it, then he’ll probably be upset, and I can’t have that.” At least he would be able to leave them in the Apollo cabin that day instead of carrying them around.

“Hey, Will,” one of his siblings called to him. “Since Nico’s still not here, wanna take my morning shift for me?”

Will shot her a smile. “Nope! I’m exhausted from yesterday, so I’m just gonna keep my evening shift this time. Maybe I’ll even take a nap this afternoon. Wouldn’t that be something?”

“So,” Austin said, drawing Will’s attention his way, “when you and Nico start dating, are you just gonna ditch all of your shifts?”

Will pouted. “Of course not! I’ll keep all my scheduled shifts, but I probably won’t be able to pick up the slack anymore, is all. Besides, Nico’s helped out in the infirmary before, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind doing so again.”

Kayla snorted. “Wow, you really are certain that you’re gonna get together, huh?”

Will smiled down at his lap. “I mean, I still have my doubts, but if you could see what I see when we’re alone, I think you’d be pretty certain, too.”

Kayla scrunched up her nose. “Gross, I don’t want to hear about what you two do behind closed doors.”

Will threw one of his pillows at her. “Shut up, we’re not even together yet!”

After breakfast, Will returned to the Apollo cabin. He straightened the place up a little bit, deciding to put off doing laundry for another day and choosing to nap instead. He eyed the Cerberus plush sitting on his nightstand next to Nico’s gift for that day, and laid down in bed with the plush in his arms.

He woke up a few hours later to the sound of Nico’s voice calling out, “Hey, Will, are you there?”

Will shot upright in bed with an, “I’m up!” He turned toward the sound of Nico’s voice, and saw Nico’s misty form blushing. 

“Um. Do you want me to call you back later?”

“No!” Will shook his head, rubbing at his eyes with one hand while he clutched Cerberus close to his chest with the other. “I was just catching up on some sleep, but I probably would’ve slept through lunch if you hadn’t called. Anyway, how’s the Underworld?”

Nico rolled his eyes and huffed. “Sucks, like usual. It’s freezing because Persephone’s pissed about something, and Dad said I can’t go back to camp until I help him figure out what’s wrong, but I don’t really see how this is  _ my _ problem, you know? Like, I thought I was coming down here to deal with some angry spirits or something, not marital problems.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If it makes you feel any better, I wish you were back here, too,” Will told him.

Nico smiled at that. “Thanks. Um, anyway, did you get my gift for me again?”

“Yes, I did!” Will set Cerberus aside and reached for the gift and letter. “Which one do you want first?”

“The letter, please.”

Will tore open the envelope and took out the letter. “Dear Nico, I haven’t seen you around camp in a couple of days, so I hope you’re okay. I thought I heard that you went to the Underworld for a few days, so stay safe and come back in one piece, okay? I’d like to think that all my hard work this month will pay off eventually, but that can’t happen unless you come back to me. I don’t know if you have any way of getting these gifts until you come back, but I hope you enjoy them anyway. I’ll write to you again tomorrow, and I hope I’ll see you again soon. Signed, your secret admirer.”

“You didn’t tell everybody that I’m in the Underworld?” Nico asked.

“No, just my siblings. They were asking about you when you didn’t show up to breakfast yesterday,” Will told him. “I guess word must’ve gotten around somehow. So, your gift now?”

“Yes, please.”

Will ripped away the wrapping paper on the gift, revealing a pair of pajama pants with a red and black plaid pattern. He held them up for Nico to see.

Nico sighed. “Those look  _ so _ warm. I wish I had those here with me right now.”

“Well, the sooner you get back, the sooner we can hang out in your cabin and the sooner I can warm you up,” Will told him with a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!! check out solangeloweek and buoyantsaturn on tumblr!!


	19. December 19th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can yall believe there's only one more week until christmas? time sure flies when you post a chapter of the same fic every day  
> enjoy!!

Will took another morning off, though this time he made sure to take a shower, do some laundry, and even got to the infirmary early to change some bed sheets and fold the extra pairs of scrubs. He kept his evening shift, volunteering to close up on his own once again. Just as he was about to shut off the lights and head back to the Apollo cabin, Will realized that in all of his running around that day, he hadn’t gotten a call from Nico.

He searched through the drawers in his desk until he found his own prism and a drachma, and put a call through to Nico.

It was dark, wherever Nico was, and he looked exhausted. “Oh, hey, Will,” Nico said around a yawn.

“Hey, sorry, did I wake you up?” Will asked.

Nico shook his head. “Nah, I just got back to camp--”

“You’re  _ here?” _ Will exclaimed, and jumped to his feet. He grabbed Nico’s gift and letter, running straight through the call as he hurried to leave the infirmary. He ran at top speed, straight to the Hades cabin. 

He didn’t bother knocking as he burst inside, catching Nico off guard and wrapping his arms around him with so much force that he knocked Nico back onto his bed. “I missed you so much!” Will said into Nico’s shoulder.

Nico’s arms wound around him slowly, but he held on tight. “I missed you, too.”

Will pulled back. “Oh! And I have your gift!” He held the small box out to Nico, and then offered the letter.

“Do you think you could read it for me? I’m too tired to understand anything I read.”

Will smiled softly. “Of course.” Will rolled off of Nico, turning on the bedside lamp so he had enough light by which to read, and allowed Nico to open his gift before Will started on the letter. 

Nico frowned at the small object in his hand. “It’s… a snowglobe?”

“Here, maybe the letter will explain something.” Will ripped open the envelope. “Dear Nico, somebody told me once that you were born in Venice, Italy. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but either way, I think you’ll find this gift pretty interesting. It used to be a regular snowglobe of Venice, but I had it enchanted by a friend in the Hecate cabin, so now it shows exactly what’s happening in Venice at that moment. If you look closely, you can see people walking down the street, and gondolas floating down the canals. I hope it reminds you of home. I’ll write to you again tomorrow, and I can’t wait to see you again. Signed, your secret admirer.”

When Will looked up, he saw Nico holding the snowglobe right up to his face. “Woah, that’s  _ really _ cool!” 

Will smiled at him. “Yeah, it is.” As Will watched him, he saw Nico yawn. “Sorry, I should probably let you get to sleep, huh?”

Will stood to leave, but Nico reached out to catch his wrist. “Wait. Um, the cleaning harpies are probably out by now, so if you want, you could...stay here tonight?”

Will almost didn’t have it in himself to say no, but he knew he had to. Besides, Nico very clearly needed to get plenty of rest, and if Will hung around, Nico might end up too nervous to sleep. “Thanks, but this won’t be the first time I’ve had to dodge the harpies.” He squeezed Nico’s hand before letting go. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay? Goodnight, Neeks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nico's back!!  
> thanks for reading!!


	20. December 20th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a short one but there's longer chapters coming in the very near future!! (theres not really a distant future in this case, is there?)  
> enjoy!!

Nico woke up to the sun shining in his eyes. It was a welcome change after being in the Underworld for a few days. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around for any kind of indication as to what time it might have been, and considered getting out of bed to see if there was a gift waiting for him on the front step. The desire to stay in his warm, comfortable bed outweighed his curiosity for that day’s gift, and he burrowed back under the blankets. 

Besides, a few moments later there came a knock on his door, and Will let himself inside. He smiled brightly at Nico, and Nico felt himself warming up even more at the sight. 

“Good morning!” Will told him, struggling to make it through the door with his arms overloaded with a variety of things. “Give me just a second.” He kicked the door shut behind himself and almost lost his balance when he kicked his shoes off. “Did you sleep well?” Will asked as he finally made his way over to the bed. 

Nico nodded. “I could probably sleep for another full day, though.”

“Okay, well, how about you eat something first?” He waited until Nico sat up before he dropped down beside him, handing over a napkin with two pieces of toast with jam. “I also brought your new pajama pants, and Cerberus, and your gift for today.”

Will ripped open the envelope without being asked, knowing that Nico would be too tired to read anything seeing as how he’d fallen against Will’s side as soon as he’d sat down. Will unfolded the letter, and then wrapped his arm around Nico’s shoulders. “Dear Nico, did you know that it’s not easy thinking of twenty-five different, original gifts to give to someone? So, it might not be different than before, but I have a feeling you’ll like your gift today anyway. I can’t wait to see you again, Nico. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

Nico swallowed his bite of toast before asking, “Will you open the gift, too?”

“Of course.” Will set the letter on the nightstand, and unfortunately had to take his arm back from around Nico’s shoulders to open the gift with both hands. Inside, there were three packs of Mythomagic cards, and Nico’s eyes lit up at the sight.

“Will you get my binder for me?” 

“Mhm,” Will hummed, and rose from the bed to retrieve Nico’s card binder from the shelf across the cabin. As he stepped away, Nico stuffed the last bite of toast in his mouth and sat up straighter to open his new card packs. 

“You’ll help me put these ones in alphabetical order, too, right?” Nico asked when Will returned. 

“Of course,” Will replied, handing over the binder. As Nico leaned forward to peer over the cards already inside the binder, Will climbed back into bed, this time sitting behind Nico, hooking his chin over Nico’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around Nico’s waist. 

He could sit like that for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	21. December 21st

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i got nothing to say here other then enjoy!!

On Saturday, Nico had the full intention of sleeping in, but Will seemed to have other ideas. He came knocking on Nico’s door just after breakfast, letting himself inside and taking a pillow to his chest when Nico threw it and growled for Will to leave.

“C’mon, Neeks, you slept in plenty yesterday,” Will told him. “And I even let you miss breakfast again. You can’t let yourself slip into an unhealthy sleeping habit again.”

With a groan, Nico sat up. “Fine.” He glared up at Will, who was standing beside his bed with his hands behind his back. Nico held out a hand to him.

“What?” Will asked.

Nico wiggled his fingers. “I know you brought me breakfast. And you probably have my gift, too, right?”

Will held his ground for another few seconds before he finally broke, and brought his hands out from behind his back. In one hand was a napkin holding two pieces of toast - the same breakfast as yesterday - and in the other was a rectangular box wrapped in familiar paper. “Alright, fine. You got me.”

Nico grinned and took the toast, and shifted over on the mattress to make room for Will. As Will sat down beside him, he held out the letter to Nico.

“I can’t read that. My hands are full,” Nico told him, waving a piece of toast between them. 

Will rolled his eyes and shook his head as he tore open the envelope. “Dear Nico, I’m glad you made it back safely, and I hope it wasn’t too disappointing that your first gift when you came back was just more Mythomagic cards. I think today’s gift will make up for it, anyway. I know you haven’t had very many opportunities to catch up on pop culture, so hopefully today’s gift can help you fix that. I’ll write to you again tomorrow. Signed, your secret admirer.”

Nico stuffed the last bite of toast into his mouth and pulled the gift onto his lap as Will read the signature at the bottom of the page. He ripped away the wrapping paper and took out five rectangular plastic cases. Nico frowned at them. “What are these? Books?” He opened one of the cases, and it was empty aside from a single shiny disc inside - another CD?

“No, they’re DVDs. Movies,” Will answered. He reached over and took the stack, glancing at each of the covers before he said, “Wow, you’ve got a pretty good selection here. Your boy knows you pretty well. I think you’ll like these a lot.”

“How do I watch them?” Nico asked. 

“With a DVD player.”

Nico hesitated. “And...where do I get one of those?”

“You--” Will froze, his eyes slowly widening as the tips of his ears grew pink and his freckles began to glow. “Oh. Oh! Right. Uh… I’m sure your, uh, secret admirer thought of that. Um. Anyway, we should probably get out of here and head to breakfast before all the food is gone.” Will jumped off of the bed and set the DVDs on Nico’s nightstand. “You should get dressed. I’ll wait for you outside, okay?” Without waiting for an answer, Will ran out the door. 

Nico looked after him with a frown. What could have possibly made Will act like that? It was like he was embarrassed, but what would he be embarrassed about? It wasn’t like  _ he _ was Nico’s admirer.

That reminded Nico of something. He reached for the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out the list of suspects Will had written out for him. He frowned down at the list, then picked up the discarded letter from that morning and held them side by side. There were a few similarities between the handwritings on the two papers - most notably the big swooping Ss and the dots above the Is that looked more like dashes.

However, Will’s handwriting was much messier. It would have been nearly illegible had Nico not already known what it said.

Nico picked up a pen and crossed Will’s name off the bottom of the list. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> will is high int low wis ok hes not the brightest (mentally. physically he IS the brightest)  
> thanks for reading!!


	22. December 22nd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think yall will like this one ;)))  
> enjoy!!

Nico woke up to a knock on his door. It was loud enough for Nico to wonder how it hadn’t woken him up the last two days - it was almost like, just like Will, his admirer had been giving him the chance to sleep in. 

But not today, apparently. 

Nico got up and opened the door, taking a quick glance around outside to see if there was anyone acting suspicious nearby, but once again, he saw no one. He picked up the gift and letter off his step and brought it inside. 

He opened up the letter first.

_ Dear Nico, _

_ Sorry for giving you a bunch of DVDs with no way to play them. So, here’s a DVD player for you. I hope it can get put to good use. I can’t wait to have a movie night with you someday, Nico. Anyway, since it’s Sunday (the last Sunday until we finally meet) I have one last hint for you: I fought in the Titan War, which is when I saw you for the first time. Seeing you in full armor, commanding that army of the dead, it was like love at first sight. Or, crush at first sight is more like it. I don’t think I can really say “love” until I can say it to your face. I’ll write to you again tomorrow, and I’ll see you in a few days.  _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

Nico’s heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he had to set the letter aside and open the gift instead. He knew from reading that the gift was a DVD player of some kind, but that didn’t mean that Nico had any idea how it worked. 

He was pulled away from his gift when there was another knock on his door. “Come in,” he called out.

Will poked his head inside before his body followed, and he smiled brightly at Nico. “Good morning! Already got your gift, I see. Any chance it’s a DVD player?”

Nico tilted his head to the side. “How did you guess?”

Will shrugged. “I mean, it was pretty dumb of your boy to give you a bunch of DVDs with no way to play them, so I figured he would give you a DVD player sooner or later.”

Nico nodded, and dropped his gaze to the DVD player in his lap. “Will… Would you maybe want to have a movie night with me? So you can teach me how to use this thing?”

When he looked up again, Will’s freckles were glowing faintly, and his smile had somehow brightened. “Yeah! Sure, I’d love to!”

They decided to skip the campfire that night - though most campers skipped the campfire on cold nights like those - and together Will and Nico made their way to the Hades cabin after dinner. They made themselves comfortable on Nico’s bed while Will fired up the DVD player. Nico allowed him to pick the movie, too, since Will seemed to have a better idea of what Nico might like. 

They watched  _ A Nightmare Before Christmas, _ and Nico fell in love  _ instantly. _

It was almost time for lights out by the time the movie was over, but Nico was too hyped up from the movie to sleep anytime soon. As the credits rolled on the screen in front of them, Nico turned to Will and asked, “Do you want to watch another one? I know it’s late but… You could sleep over, if you want, so you don’t have to run back to your cabin in the middle of the night.”

Will almost seemed like he wasn’t breathing. “Uh...sure! Yeah, let me just… I’m gonna run back to my cabin to put on some pajamas, and I’ll be right back, okay?” With that, Will scrambled out of bed and hurried toward the door.

He didn’t bother to tie his boots as he ran out of the cabin and toward his own, where his siblings were all getting ready for lights out. 

Will burst through the door and announced,  _ “He asked me to sleep over!” _

About half of the cabin rolled their eyes as Will frantically pulled on a pair of pajama pants, and then practically dove under his bed to retrieve the next day’s gift. He ran to Kayla with it and held the small box out to her. 

_ “Please _ bring this to the Hades cabin tomorrow morning,” he begged. 

“Just tell him it’s you!” she argued, holding her hands up and refusing to take the gift. “You’ve only got three days left anyway, just end it early!”

Will shook his head. “Please, Kayla, this is important to me! I can’t tell him yet, I’m just not ready, and I really need you to do this for me.”

Kayla groaned, showing off her own spectacular eye roll before finally taking the gift from Will’s hands. “Fine. But you’d better write a letter, too.”

Will’s eyes widened. “Right! Thank you, Kayla.”

Will leapt back toward his bed and took out a piece of paper and a pen, then scribbled out a short note for Kayla to deliver with the gift in the morning. He shoved the letter into Kayla’s hand and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he thanked her again and again.

“Just get out of here already so we can go to bed,” Kayla told him.

“Right,” Will said, and pulled on his boots and coat. “Thank you!”

He ran at top speed back to the Hades cabin, and hurried to crawl back into bed beside Nico, warming up again after being out in the cold. He draped an arm around Nico’s shoulders, and Nico instantly settled back against Will’s chest. 

“Alright,” Will said, still breathing heavy from his quick sprint, “what are we watching next?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did you like this one? was i right?  
> thanks for reading!!


	23. December 23rd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hooooo BOY here's that long chapter yall have been waiting for!  
> enjoy!

Will woke up with Nico in his arms, curled up against his chest with one hand wrapped up in the front of Will’s t-shirt, holding on tight in his sleep.

Will thought his heart might explode. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Will’s heart almost exploded for a different reason. He quickly untangled Nico’s hand from his shirt and slipped out of bed to answer the door, seeing Kayla on the other side.

She shoved the gift and letter into his chest. “You owe me a shift for this.”

“Shh!” Will hissed. “You might wake him up!”

“Just hurry up and tell him already.”

“Let me have my last two days!” Will told her with a frown, and shooed her away silently before he closed the door and turned back toward the bed. Thankfully, Nico was still asleep. 

Will slipped back into bed and brushed Nico’s hair away from his face, which caused Nico’s face to twitch as he started to wake. 

Will smiled at the sight. “Hey there, good morning. You just missed your admirer.”

Nico sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “What? Did you see who it was?”

Will sat up as well and leaned back against the headboard. “Nah, I think I just missed him. But I did get your gift for you.” 

He held it out for Nico, who took it and tore it open. “It’s... a card? What is this?”

“Oh, maybe the letter will explain it better,” Will said, and held out the letter. 

Nico opened that as well, and started to read it, though he looked more and more frustrated the longer he looked at it. “I can’t read this, it’s… messy.”

Will looked over his shoulder and winced at his own scribbled handwriting. “Oh, sorry. Um, I mean, it looks like your boy tried to write this in a bit of a hurry.” He took the letter from Nico’s hand to get a better look at it, and frowned. “Wow, there are a  _ lot _ of typos in here. Um.  _ Dear Nico, _ uh… It seems like this is a gift card for some restaurant in the city. There’s fifty dollars on it, and, uh, I think this says that he wants you to take a friend out to dinner on him, but--” Will squinted at the paper. How could he not even read his own handwriting? “He wants you to know that when he takes you out for dinner, it’ll be much more romantic.”

Nico frowned down at the gift card in his hand. “Oh. Okay. Should we go get breakfast?”

Will had to take a double shift in the infirmary that day, though the only reason he would give was that he “owed Kayla,” so Nico was left alone to teach his sword fighting classes that morning. 

They didn’t get a chance to see each other again until just before the dinner horn blew, when Nico met Will outside the infirmary after his shift.

“Do you want to get dinner with me?” Nico asked, his words rushed and maybe a little bit nervous.

“Yeah, of course. I was just on my way to the pavilion.”

“No. With this.” Nico held up the gift card. 

“Oh! Uh, sure! If you want me to, yeah! But, um, how are we going to get here?”

Nico held out his hand to Will. “I can get us there.”

Will placed his hand in Nico’s, and suddenly they were simultaneously standing still and moving faster than the speed of light, until their feet touched down on cement, and Will stumbled into Nico.

“Did you just shadow travel us here?” Will asked, still clutching Nico’s hand like his life depended on it and now holding onto the sleeve of his jacket like a vise as well. “You know you’re not supposed to shadow travel unless it’s an emergency!”

“I know, but I’m fine,” Nico assured him. “Besides, we’re already here, and the only way to get back to camp will be to shadow travel back, so I would consider that one an emergency. At least I have my doctor with me, right?”

Will frowned at him. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. C’mon, let’s go find that restaurant. I’m starving.” Will released Nico’s sleeve, but kept his grip on his hand as the two wandered out of whatever alley they’d wound up in and onto the street.

They found the restaurant shortly - some Italian place that had Nico wrinkling his nose at first, though his entire manner changed as soon as the plate was set down in front of him.  _ Genuine _ Italian, then. Nico didn’t know much about what was considered “romantic,” but if he had to guess, this place hit the nail on the head. The place wasn’t overly packed, and there was soft music playing all around them. Most of the restaurant was dimly lit, and there was a single candle on each table that was lit as they sat down - Nico quickly found himself fascinated by the way the fire reflected in Will’s eyes. It felt...intimate, not that Nico had really experienced intimacy much in his life, but something about this dinner with Will felt even more intimate than sharing a bed the night before.

He started wishing that this could be a date, like a  _ real date, _ but then he remembered the letter he’d received this morning and the list tucked away in his nightstand. His secret admirer already had the intention of taking him out for a  _ truly _ romantic date, and Will had already proven himself not to be that admirer. How could Nico start wishing for something that could never be?

They paid for their meal with Nico’s gift card, which luckily for them covered the dinner in full. As they left, Nico started to lead Will by the hand back into an alley to take them back to camp, but Will stopped them.

“What?” Nico asked. “Is something wrong?”

Will glanced around, looking somewhere between excited and nervous, his hand twitching slightly in Nico’s. “You know, this is first time I’ve left camp since the Titan War? It’s kind of weird knowing that I don’t have the camp’s protection out here.”

Nico squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry about that. I’m here. I’ll protect you.”

Will’s glowing freckles were unmistakable in the dim light. “I know you are. Before we go back, how do you feel about walking around a little bit? I mean, it’s been so long since I’ve been in the city, and who knows when we’ll get another chance like this?”

“Yeah, sure. Anyplace you had in mind?”

Will shrugged one shoulder, almost like he had an idea but was embarrassed to say it. “I don’t know… Maybe we could try to find Rockefeller Center? They have that giant Christmas tree there, I think.”

Nico squeezed his hand again and smiled. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

They learned that night that the city truly never does sleep, and what they thought was maybe ten o’clock when they returned to camp was actually past midnight. They were both exhausted from their long days - Nico more so from the shadow traveling - and both collapsed into Nico’s bed as soon as they arrived in the Hades cabin.

“It’s way past curfew,” Nico pointed out around a yawn, his eyes searching for Will in the dark. 

“Mhm,” Will replied tiredly.

“You should stay here again.”

Will’s response was to roll over and throw an arm around Nico before he fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	24. December 24th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i need to get dressed and run some errands BUT gotta upload this chapter too.....  
> enjoy!!

Will woke up to the sound of a knock on the door, and in his overtired state, he tried to ignore the sound by curling closer to the warmth in the bed. After a split second, however, Will realized that he wasn’t wrapping himself around a warm pillow but a person - and that person was  _ Nico. _ In an instant, Will remembered where he was and slipped silently out of bed, tiptoeing toward the door and opening it cautiously. Nobody knew he was there, right? So they would probably be looking for Nico - and if Chiron was on the other side of that door, then he would  _ definitely _ be upset to hear that Will had spent the night.

Luckily for him, it was only Kayla on the other side of the door, though she didn’t look particularly happy, either. “You owe me  _ so much _ for this,” she told him.

“Oh my gods, I can’t believe I forgot about this,” Will muttered. “Thank you so much, I don’t know what I would do without-- Wait! I didn’t write a letter!”

Kayla pulled her hand out of her coat pocket and produced an envelope and a pen. “Yeah, you’re lucky you have the best sister in the world.”

“I do, I really do,” Will said, and pulled her into a quick hug before Kayla stepped away and Will shut the door as quietly as possible. 

He moved back toward Nico’s bed, checking to make sure that Nico was still asleep before Will took out the envelope and removed the paper from inside. He wrote out another quick note, trying to keep his handwriting neat and typo-free while also writing fast, and in no time, he had a sealed envelope in his hand.

Nico woke up to see Will kneeling beside his bed with a big smile, one of Will’s hands carding through his hair to wake him gently. 

“Good morning,” Will greeted, and when Nico sat up, Will rejoined him in bed. “Your secret admirer came by just now, and before you ask, no, I didn’t see who it was.”

Nico hummed and leaned against Will’s side, so Will wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“How are you feeling?” Will asked. “You seem even more tired than usual. All that shadow traveling really must have worn you out yesterday, huh?”

Nico nodded, but it was more like he was rubbing his cheek on Will’s shirt. 

Will handed over the gift and letter, though Nico gave the letter back right away. With a huff, Will said, “Did I teach you to read for nothing?” He pressed a kiss to the top of Nico’s head to let him know that he wasn’t actually upset, and started to read. “Dear Nico, can you believe it’s Christmas Eve already? It feels like just yesterday I was setting that first gift on your doorstep and shaking like a leaf. I’ll tell you now that your gift today is a Christmas sweater, and I would love it if you could wear that sweater tomorrow when we can finally meet--”

Nico sat up, pulling away from Will. “Tomorrow? But… That’s too soon! I don’t think I’m ready to meet him yet. Will, what if I’m not ready? Or… Or what if I don’t like him? Or even worse, what if I  _ do _ like him? I might like him a  _ lot, _ but then… I’ve been spending so much time with you and your siblings for the past few months, but what if I start spending all of my time with him, and then I never see you again? I don’t think I can do it, Will. I can’t. I can’t meet him!”

“Nico,” Will said soothingly, pulling Nico close once again and wrapping his arms around him. “Don’t worry so much about it, okay? Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to. I’ll still be here, no matter what happens, but… I want you to...give him a chance, okay? All he wants is to make you happy, and… That’s all I want for you, too. But if you’re not happy with him, then you don’t have to be with him, okay?”

Nico buried his face in Will’s chest as one of Will’s hands rubbed up and down his back, sending a sense of calmness all throughout Nico’s body. That might have been Nico’s favorite power of Will’s - the way he could relax someone with a single touch.

Should he tell Will that he wishes it was him instead of anybody else? That he hoped Will would be the one that knew him well enough to get him so many thoughtful gifts? That he wanted to go ice skating with Will again, and have another movie night, another sleepover? 

But Will wanted Nico to give him a chance, so he would...try. How could he try to like someone he didn’t? Wouldn’t it be worse to pretend to like someone then to admit your feelings for someone else? Will said he would be there for Nico regardless of what happened tomorrow, so would that mean he would still be Nico’s friend, or could they be something...more?

Nico lifted his head, and Will pulled back far enough to meet his eyes. “Will you stay over again tonight? So I don’t have to meet him alone?”

Will smiled sadly and brushed his fingers across Nico’s cheek. “I’m sorry, but I just don’t want to be in the way tomorrow. You understand, right?”

That was it. That felt like the final nail in the coffin for Nico - if Will refused to stay over, then there was no possible way that he could be Nico’s admirer.

Nico dropped his head back to Will’s chest. “Yeah, I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes will IS very mean but,,,, he's got his reasons okay?? reasons youll see TOMORROW because its CHRISTMAS!!  
> thanks for reading!!


	25. December 25th (Christmas)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!!  
> please feel free to read this chapter whenever you feel overwhelmed by your family and just need a break with a little bit a fluff,,,, little bit of angst,,, and one last little cliffhanger for something that will either be posted later today or tomorrow,,, we'll see,,,,  
> enjoy!!

_ Dear Nico, _

_ Merry Christmas! It’s been a long time coming, but today we finally get to meet. Are you excited? I can’t tell if I’m more excited or nervous. I hope you’re excited. And I hope you’re not upset or disappointed when we meet. Oh, shoot, that probably isn’t helpful, huh? Please, don’t be nervous, Nico. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. I just want to make you happy. _

_ I’d like you to meet me for breakfast (or lunch, but hopefully you wake up in time for it to still be breakfast). Has anyone ever shown you the best view in all of camp? That’s where I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll see you soon, Nico. I can’t wait to see you. _

_ Your Secret Admirer _

Nico’s heart was pounding in his chest. He’d woken up to see that the letter had been slid under his door, but he didn’t remember hearing a knock on his door, so he had no idea what time it might have been. 

He hurried to get dressed, remembering right away that his letter yesterday had had a request for Nico to wear his new Christmas sweater, so he threw that on with a pair of jeans. He made sure to bundle up before he went outside, wearing the coat, hat, scarf, and gloves that his admirer had given him as well before he braced himself and stepped outside into the cold. 

_ The best view in all of camp. _ He turned toward the woods, but hesitated. That’s the place that  _ Will _ claimed had the best view in all of camp. Would it be the same for his admirer? And if it was supposed to be the place that  _ Nico _ thought was the best view at camp, then he should turn around and head for the dining pavilion where Will was likely having breakfast at that moment.

He shook that thought from his head. Will wanted him to give his admirer a chance, so Nico had to go into this without thinking of anyone but his admirer. Could he really go a full day without thinking of Will?

He started marching toward the woods, forcing other thoughts into his head every time his brain decided to remind him of Will’s beautiful smile, or his hair that sparkled like gold in the sun, or the way his freckles started to glow when he blushed. Unfortunately for Nico, he kind of  _ had _ to think of Will as he tried to remember the way through the woods, regardless of the fact that he mainly just needed to walk toward the water and he’d find the spot eventually.

Soon, the trees started to thin out, the sun shining down on him in a familiar way. Nico’s heart started to pound in his chest again as he realized that this was it, this was the spot where his admirer would be waiting. He was about to meet the boy that somehow knew him better than he knew himself, that had bought him so many thoughtful gifts, that practically confessed his  _ love _ for him in a few of those letters, and…

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t look someone in the eyes and tell them he didn’t love them back, not when he liked someone else. He started to take a step back, but he heard Will’s voice in his head saying,  _ “Just give him a chance,” _ and so he squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears with his mittens. He shook his head in one last futile attempt to get Will’s face out of his mind, but then he heard footsteps, and Nico froze.

His body tensed up, his hand at the ready to reach into the nearest shadow for his sword before he even looked up, but when he saw who was in front of him, he stayed tense.

Will smiled at him, and it somehow shone brighter than the sun that backlit him like an angel in a renaissance painting. “Hey, I was afraid you might’ve gotten lost.”

Nico frowned. “Shouldn’t you be at breakfast?”

Will ducked his head as if to hide his smile, but Nico still saw the glowing freckles on his cheeks. “You know I don’t like to eat alone. Come with me.” 

He held out a hand, but Nico just stared at it skeptically. “You have siblings. And I’m supposed to be meeting my admirer.”

Will rolled his eyes fondly. “Yeah, I know you are. At the greatest view in all of camp, which is right over here. C’mon.”

“How did you know that?” When Nico still refused to take Will’s hand, Will grabbed it for himself, and started pulling Nico through the trees until they were standing on the cliff overlooking the Sound once more. “Did you read my letter?”

“I wrote it.”

“What?”

Nico looked to the side where a thermal picnic blanket had been set up on the snowy ground, complete with a couple of pillows and a basket full of food. Will squeezed Nico’s hand, and Nico turned back to look at him. 

He really was the greatest view in all of camp.

“It’s me, Nico,” Will told him softly, taking Nico’s other hand as well. “It’s  _ me.” _

“What  _ about _ you?” Nico asked with a frown.

Will laughed, which Nico really didn’t appreciate, until Will said, “I’m your secret admirer.”

Nico slipped his hands out of Will’s. “No, you’re not.”

“I promise you, I am.”

“But you  _ told me--” _

Will reached up and placed his hands on Nico’s cheeks, the chill of his bare fingers seeming to send a shock through Nico’s system. “I got...nervous. And I was afraid you would find me out early, so I tried to throw you off. But it’s really me, I promise. No more lies. I really,  _ really _ like you, Nico.” 

Will was smiling at him so softly, and there was this look in his eyes that Nico couldn’t quite place but it tied Nico’s insides into knots and made it feel like his chest was flooding with water until all of a sudden Will’s smile broke, and Nico felt something warm on his cheeks.

“Oh, no, Nico, please don’t cry,” Will said, hurriedly trying to wipe away the tears that had started to fall from Nico’s eyes, but he just wasn’t quick enough. “I’m so sorry, I never wanted to lie to you! I know you probably got your hopes up thinking it was somebody else, but please don’t be disappointed that it’s just me--”

Nico broke out of Will’s hold and collided with his chest, wrapping his arms around Will so tightly that it was almost difficult for Will to breathe. “I was so afraid,” Nico whispered. “I only ever wanted it to be you, Will, no matter how many times you said it wasn’t. And I was so afraid that I would have to turn somebody down because they weren’t  _ you. _ I  _ like you, _ Will,  _ so  _ much.”

“I like you, too, Death Boy,” Will said into the top of Nico’s head, rubbing his hands up and down Nico’s back soothingly. After a moment, Will pulled away just far enough to meet Nico’s still-teary eyes. “Does this mean you’d be willing to give your boy a chance?”

“Of course I will,” Nico replied.

Will smiled and brushed a thumb across Nico’s cheek once more. “C’mon, let’s sit down and have some breakfast, okay? That should help you calm down a little bit.”

As they pulled apart, Will reached out for Nico’s hand once more, and pulled him toward the picnic blanket. They sat down, Nico pressed against Will’s side, and Will pulled a napkin out of the basket to wipe away Nico’s remaining tears. “Merry Christmas, Nico.”

Nico’s eyes widened slowly in realization. “I didn’t get you anything for Christmas.”

“That’s okay! I got to spend twenty-five amazing days with you - or, well, more like twenty-two I think - and now I get to have so many more. That’s a good enough gift for me.”

Nico frowned. “No, there has to be something I can do. You bought  _ so many _ things for me, and I don’t even know how you could have afforded all of that!”

Will turned his gaze out toward the water. “I mean, I had been saving up for a while to get a plane ticket home to see my mom, but I...told her I couldn’t make it home for Christmas, so I spent the money on gifts instead.”

Nico squeezed Will’s hand. “Where does your mom live? Texas, right? That’s not too far. I’ve done bigger jumps.”

Will frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“After we eat, go pack a bag. I’m taking you home for Christmas.”

“No way, no you’re not! That’s way too far! It’s dangerous, and it’s been too long since you’ve done a jump that big! I won’t let you.”

“So we pack some snacks and ambrosia,” Nico assured him. “Besides, I’ll have my doctor with me. I’ll be fine.”

Will pouted. “You’re not taking no for an answer, are you?”

Nico grinned back at him. “Nope! Merry Christmas, Will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!! check back for that last chapter!!


	26. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it!! enjoy!!

Nico woke up in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room. 

_ Oh, _ he thought.  _ I passed out after the jump. _

He sat up just in time to see the door opening across the room, and Will stepped inside. He smiled brightly at Nico when he saw him, and came to sit by Nico’s side. “Oh, good! You’re up! How are you feeling?” He set a hand on Nico’s forehead, then pressed two fingers to the inside of Nico’s wrist.

“I’m fine,” Nico told him. “A little groggy, but better than usual.”

“That’s good,” Will said as he started to pinch the tips of Nico’s fingers to check for fading. “You gave my mom quite the scare, you know. I mean, I scared her too, since she wasn’t expecting me to be here today, but you passing out on the front law didn’t help either.”

Nico winced. “Sorry. She’s not upset that we showed up unannounced, right?”

“Nah, she’s just happy to see me. And she’s excited to meet you. You know, since you’re conscious now.” Will held out a small glass for Nico to take. “Drink up so you can come downstairs with me.”

Nico took the glass and drank the nectar inside - something that used to taste like a McDonald’s milkshake, but now reminded him of the cookies he’d gotten from Will a few weeks ago. As soon as he’d downed the last drop, he felt more awake than he had all day, and handed the glass back to Will. Will held his free hand out to Nico to help him up, and brought their joined hands up to his lips, pressing a kiss to Nico’s knuckles.   
Nico turned his head in an attempt to hide his blush. “What was that for?”

“I’m just happy,” Will told him, squeezing Nico’s hand and leading him out into the hallways. “Really happy. This might be the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

Nico bumped him with his shoulder. “You don’t know that.” He squeezed Will’s hand back as they made their way down the stairs.

“Will?” a woman’s voice called through the house. “Is that you I hear? Do me a favor and grab the nice plates from the hall closet, please.”

“Yes, Mama,” Will called back, and pulled Nico off course for a moment toward the closet. He brought out a cloth-wrapped stack of plates before leading Nico back on their original path. As they stepped into the kitchen, Will set the plates on the counter and wrapped an arm around Nico’s waist. “Mama, this is Nico.”

The woman turned to face them - she was about Nico’s height with long brown curly hair - and smiled the same bright smile that Nico saw on Will’s face every day. Nico always assumed that Will had gotten that smile from Apollo, but now he saw that he was wrong. “Nico!” she said, and stepped over to wrap him up in a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m glad you’re finally awake, and just in time, too! My husband just called to tell me that he’s on his way back from the airport with my parents, and I’m so happy to have the whole family together for Christmas!”

“Um. Thank you for having me,” Nico said awkwardly.

“You two go watch some Christmas specials in the living room, and I’ll call for you when it’s time for dinner,” Naomi told them. “It shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

“Thanks, Mama,” Will said, and led Nico into the living room by the hand. 

The two were snuggled up on the couch when Will’s step-father returned home with Naomi’s parents in tow. Nico sort of wanted to pretend to pass out again, but before he could, Will was jumping to his feet and hugging his family. A second later, he was turning and introducing them to Nico, who waved shyly from the couch. 

Will returned to Nico’s side as the rest of his family headed toward the kitchen, and Will’s step-father called, “Honey, I’m home!” Naomi caught him before he could step into the dining room, and pulled him in for a kiss. Then, Will’s step-father glanced toward the ceiling and said, “Ah! You got me again!”

They continued on to the dining room, moving into the kitchen, and Nico saw Will’s grandparents share a kiss as well before continuing on. Nico frowned in confusion, but settled back against Will’s side to watch the show. 

Another few moments later, Naomi’s voice rang from the kitchen: “Will, could you come here for a second?”

Will rose from the couch, careful not to disturb Nico in any way, and met his mom at the entrance to the dining room. She wrapped him up in a hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek, causing Will flinch away, exclaiming, “Mama, stop it!”

“It’s tradition,” Naomi argued. “You can’t stop tradition!”

“Did you need something, or are you just trying to bother me?” Will demanded. 

“Alright, alright,” Naomi said, finally releasing her son, “I’ll let you go, but only so you and Nico can set the table for me.”

Nico stood at the mention of his name, and started to follow Will toward the kitchen, but Naomi stopped him as well and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. “Now, don’t you start arguing the mistletoe, too.”

“Uh, no, ma’am,” Nico stuttered, and continued after Will. 

Naomi returned to her cooking and Nico accepted a stack of plates from Will as they stepped back toward the dining room table. They started off in silence, but once Nico had placed all of the plates and was left watching Will set silverware, he asked, “Will, what’s mistletoe?”

“It’s some Christmas tradition,” Will explained. “If you and someone else get caught under it, you have to kiss. My mom likes to hide it so only she knows where it is, but she didn’t do a very good job this year.” He gestured with a fork to the doorframe leading back to the living room, and Nico turned to see a tiny sprig of green leaves taped to the wall.

“Oh.” Nico’s gaze flickered back and forth between Will and the mistletoe, trying to think of how he would catch Will underneath it, but he got too caught up in his thoughts and missed seeing Will head back to the living room.

“Just gonna stand there until dinner’s ready?” Will called over to him. “C’mon, you’re gonna miss the best part.”

With a huff, Nico made his way back to the couch. 

They watched the last twenty or so minutes of their Christmas special before Naomi called them for dinner. Nico tried to be quick as he followed Will to the table, though Will didn’t even hesitate underneath the mistletoe, so Nico slumped into his seat beside Will at the table. 

Will reached over for one of Nico’s hands and squeezed it. “Hey, are you alright?”

Nico ducked his head in embarrassment, and whispered, “I just wanted to...be under the mistletoe with you.”

If Nico looked up, he would have seen the bright smile and glowing freckles on Will’s face. “If you wanted a kiss, all you had to do was say so,” Will said softly, and leaned over to press a kiss to Nico’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading and for hanging out for the last month!! i've got one more fic to post for 2019 (my last of the decade!!) so stick around to read that eventually!!  
> also check out solangeloweek on tumblr for more advent calendar stuff!!  
> AND!! go read solangelo advent by wordsofink it's SO good!!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! see you tomorrow!!!


End file.
